<sh>Police Search for
Robbery Suspect
<bt>At 10:14 a.m. on April 28, sheriff's deputies responded to a robbery call from the Sterling Park Safeway, located at 22350 Sterling Blvd. Upon arrival, deputies met with the pharmacist who reported a male suspect approached the pharmacy and then leapt over the counter and stole an undisclosed amount of the narcotic OxyContin.
The suspect is described as a white male, 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet in height and weighing from 180-200 pounds. He was wearing a blue sweatshirt, gray shorts and tennis shoes. The suspect fled the scene on foot. The suspect is believed to be the same man involved in the robbery at the Sterling Park Safeway Pharmacy on Feb. 10.
Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the Sheriff's Criminal Investigations Division at 703-777-0475.
<sh>Pursuit Snares
Fugitive
<bt>On April 22, units from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office assisted the Middleburg Police Department in attempting to apprehend a Middleburg man who was suspected of fraud. Chief Steven Webber of the Middleburg Police Department, who had been conducting the investigation, had developed information that the suspect, Timothy R Collins, also known as Timothy Calavecchio, was wanted in Akron, Ohio on several other charges. He was also wanted by the U.S. Marshall's Service for parole violation.
Collins had presented himself as a millionaire, who was interested in buying an estate just outside of Middleburg. He had been in the area for several weeks staying at the Red Fox Inn. He had made arrangements with the property owner to let him stay at an apartment over the garage on the estate until the deal was completed. When he had moved out of the Red Fox Inn, he was unable to pay his bill and asked for some time to pay it. The Red Fox contacted the Middleburg Police when this occurred.
Sgt. Jeff Brown, deputy Ricky Beamer and Webber staked out the estate, just north of Middleburg, waiting for the suspect to return. When Collins drove into the driveway of the estate, units tried to stop him, but Collins drove across the yard and left the property via another driveway.
The pursuit went through various back county roads outside of Middleburg and through Bluemont. As the suspect tried to negotiate a hairpin turn at the west end of Bluemont, he lost control and went over a small embankment into the woods. He was able to get out of his vehicle and run further into the woods. K-9 units from the Sheriff's Office, as well as a helicopter from the Fairfax County Police Department were called to assist in searching for the suspect.
That afternoon, a call was made to the Clark County Sheriff's Office from a person saying that a man had come to a house on Ravens Rock Road and asked for a ride to Winchester. The man told the caller that his car had broken down. A member of the family gave the subject a ride to a cab company in Winchester.
Clark County Sheriffs Office was able to contact the cab company and found out that the suspect had rented a limousine to take him to Fairfax County. The Clark County Sheriff's Office was able to call the limousine driver on his cell phone and get his location. The Iimousine was stopped on Route 7 just east of Berryville by units of the Virginia State Police and the Clark County Sheriff's Office. The suspect was taken into custody without further incident.
<sh>Hair Dryer
Causes Fire
<bt>The Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office has determined that the April 22 fire that damaged a Sterling town house on Whitcomb Square was accidental.
The fire, which started in a bathroom in the basement, was due to the accidental activation of a hair dryer that had been left plugged in. The heat from the hair dryer caused nearby clothing to smolder, ignite and spread fire to other combustibles.
On Monday, April 22, Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Services received a 911 call for a structure fire at 45548 Whitcomb Square in Sterling. Fire and rescue personnel from Sterling and Ashburn arrived on the scene to find smoke coming from the garage area of the home. Firefighters were able to bring the fire under control in a matter of minutes, confining the bulk of the fire damage to the bathroom and basement of the home. The fire resulted in approximately $25,000 damage to the town house.
As a result of the fire, the three residents of the town house have been temporarily displaced pending repairs. One occupant required additional assistance from the American Red Cross.
<sh>Cascades Fire Under Investigation
<bt>The Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office is currently investigating a fire that damaged a building in the Cascades Overlook Apartment Complex in Sterling early last Thursday morning.
Around 1:23 a.m. April 25, Loudoun County Fire-Rescue Services received a call for a structural fire at 20761 Ridgehaven Court in Sterling. The fighters discovered a fire between the second and third floor of the apartment building. They were able to contain and extinguished the fire in a matter of minutes. Nine residents were displaced from two apartments as a result of the fire. Damage estimates are still pending.
<sh>CTB Awards Expansion
For Dulles Toll Road
<bt>The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) awarded a $2.8 million contract to add an additional Smart Tag toll lane at the Dulles Toll Road and Spring Hill Road according to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). The project will help ease traffic by increasing the toll lanes from two to three.
The CTB also awarded three contracts totaling nearly $1.8 million to D & F Construction, Inc. of Alexandria, Va. to repair and replace sidewalks, curb and gutter and entrances throughout Fairfax County.
<sh>Draft Zoning Ordinance Online
<bt>The Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission recently received the consultant's report and draft zoning ordinance, which is available online at www.loudoun.gov.