<sh>Correction
<bt>The April 28 issue of the Reston Connection listed incorrect dates for the Clyde's Strawberry Festival at Reston Town Center. The festival will be held on May 7 and 8.
<sh>Taxi Driver Charged with Assault
<bt>A taxi cab driver was arrested for assaulting his 16-year-old fare. According to police, on Thursday, March 25, Nauman Shaukat Khan, 39, of Fairfax, drove his taxi cab to the home of a 16-year-old Reston area girl. The girl sat in the front seat per Khan's request and he drove her to a center, located in Fairfax City. During the ride, Khan had stopped for a red light that was located in Fairfax County. There, he sexually assaulted the girl over her clothes, police said. The girl reported this to an acquaintance who guided the victim through police reporting procedures. Investigation into this incident yielded charges of simple assault and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. Khan was charged on Friday, April 23, and was released on his personal recognizance.
<sh>Man Charged in Fatal Crash
<bt>A 23-year-old Reston man was charged with involuntary manslaughter and drunken driving last Tuesday after he crashed his car into a tow-truck on I-95, killing the two passengers in his car, according to state police. Martir Udiel Reyes ran off the road Monday afternoon and hit the truck on the shoulder, killing Jose Medardo Ayala, 25, and Adrian Emilio Mejia, 24, police said. Both Ayala and Mejia also lived in Reston. The tow truck driver, Nye Ranae Clemens, 33, who is from Silver Spring, Md., was also charged with drunken driving.
<sh>Teen Wins $10,000 Scholarship
<bt>Reston resident Drew Fleeter, an 11th grade student at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, took second place and won a $10,000 scholarship at a national geography bee in Orlando. Fleeter, 17, competed against 50 other high school students from every state and Washington, D.C., in the contest, which centered on geography questions with a travel/tourism focus. An example of a question asked as the challenge was: The Temple of Dendur is one of the most visited structures from Egypt’s ancient past. In which city is it? (Answer: New York City, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.)
<sh>Seniors, Law Enforcement Forum
<bt>To address worries that crimes against senior citizens are on the rise, the county program Seniors and Law Enforcement Together will meet at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods later this month. The forum will discuss how local law enforcement can help better protect the senior citizen community. Seniors are encouraged to attend and provide input with police, fire and rescue, and county service agencies at the meeting. The forum will be held on Tuesday, May 18 from 2:30 to 3:20 p.m.
<sh>Employees Charged with Embezzlement
<bt>A six-month investigation has led to the arrest and resignation of two civilian employees of the Fairfax County Police Department. According to police, in October 2003, detectives began to investigate the disappearance of money from the department's property section. After conducting an extensive investigation, the police determined that Kionna Garrett, 22, of Napper Road in the Hybla Valley area, had allegedly stolen more $12,000.
While researching this case, detectives discovered property missing as well. A second investigation revealed that Donald Popkins, 48, of Sterling Road in Herndon, had allegedly been taking items for personal use.
Both Garrett and Popkins turned themselves into detectives on the afternoon of April 27. Garrett, a three-year employee, was charged with three counts of embezzlement. Popkins, a 16-year employee, was charged with one count of embezzlement. Both were released on personal recognizance and both have resigned from the department.
<sh>Calendar
<1st>Monday, May 10, 5:30 pm, at the Reston Association, 1930 Isaac Newton Square, the Board of Directors will meet during a work session to consider changes to the proposed Governing Document amendments based on comments received during the Public Meetings held in March and April.