Man Given Suspended Sentence
<bt>Initially charged with rape, a Fair Oaks man was given a suspended jail sentence, last week, after the charge against him was reduced to simple assault. He is Diego Javier Santiago-Blengio, 31, of 12008 Glen Aden Road in Fairfax.
Fairfax County police arrested him after his ex-girlfriend, 29, reported that, on May 19, he sexually assaulted her in his home. Santiago-Blengio and the woman have a child together, and she was temporarily staying with him while waiting to make other living arrangements.
Last Wednesday, June 11, in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, the charge against him was reduced and he was found guilty. Judge David Schell sentenced him to 11 months and 25 days in jail, but suspended all that time on the condition that Santiago-Blengio have no further contact with the victim or the child, until custody is determined.
<sh>Bias Incident Is Investigated
<bt>Fairfax County police are investigating a bias incident that occurred Friday, June 13, between 3:30-6 a.m., in Centreville's Sunset Ridge community. Earlier, a 30-year-old Centreville man had parked his car near Sunset Ridge Road and Water Pond Court; when he returned to the vehicle, he discovered it had been spraypainted with racially biased graffiti.
Anyone with information about the incident or those responsible for it is asked to call police at 703-691-2131 or Fairfax County Crime Solvers at 703-691-8888. Recognizing the potential harm that bias crimes and incidents can have in a community, police encourage people to report any such occurrences. All bias crimes are investigated thoroughly.
<sh>Regional Neighborhood Watch
<bt>A regional Neighborhood Watch conference is scheduled for Saturday, June 21, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Sully District Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly. The conference is free and open to the public. Contact Officer Lisa Cammarota at 703-787-7627.
<sh>Centreville Community Foundation
<bt>The Centreville Day committee of the Centreville Community Foundation (CCF) will meet Tuesday, June 24, at 7 p.m. in Supervisor Michael R. Frey's (R-Sully) conference room in the Sully District Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd., in Chantilly. Call Sandy Shapiro at 703-266-3653.
<sh>Sully District Council Mtg.
<bt>The Sully District Council of Citizens Associations will meet Wednesday, June 25, at 7:30 p.m. in conference room 7 of the Fairfax County Government Center. Call Mark McConn at 703-818-9124.
<sh>Park Authority to Meet
<bt>The next meeting of the Fairfax County Park Authority will be Wednesday, June 25, at 7:30 p.m. in the Herrity Building, 12055 Government Center Parkway, Suite 900, in Fairfax. Call Judy Pedersen at 703-324-8662.
<sh>Fair Oaks DMV Reopening
<bt>The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has re-signed its lease for its office in Fair Oaks Mall and is expected to reopen there next Friday, June 27. It's one of 12 DMV offices that closed last October, and is the last one to reopen. Having another local DMV open will greatly ease the burden of the DMV office in Westfields. In addition, many DMV transactions may now be done online; see www.dmv.state.va.us/.
<sh>WFCM Needs Food Badly
<bt>Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM) is in desperate need of canned goods and groceries for its food pantry for local needy families. Much-needed items include: Breakfast cereal, canned tuna, canned meats, spaghetti sauce, canned pasta or meat meals, "dinner in a box" meals, jelly, dried pasta, canned fruit, fruit juice, baby food, diapers (all sizes), wipes, bagged rice, bagged beans and personal-care products.
All food donations may be dropped off, Monday to Saturday, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., at the Shepherd Center, 13924 Metrotech Drive in Chantilly (next to Payless Shoes) in the Sully Plaza Shopping Center. For more information, call 703-988-9656.