Missing
<bt>The Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's assistance in locating a missing female who left her foster-care residence last week.
The teenager, Yenifer Margoth Arriaza, 15, was placed with foster care by Loudoun County Child Protective Services. She has been known to frequent the Pembrook subdivision of Sterling as well as the Town of Herndon.
She has brown hair and brown eyes. She is 4 feet 11 inches, 135 pounds, and walks with a pronounced limp after a recent surgery.
Any with information is asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at 703-777-1021 or contact Investigator C. Perinis at 703-737-8102.
<sh>Drive for Charity
<bt>Toll Road Investors Partnership II L.P. (TRIP), the owner of the Dulles Greenway concession, will hold a Drive for Charity on the Greenway May 31.
During the 24 hours of Wednesday, the net proceeds from tolls collected will be donated to five charities in the local area: Fresh Air Full Care, Loudoun Abused Women's Shelter, Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, March of Dimes and Special Olympics.
TRIP intends to make this an annual event. For more information, visit www.dullesgreenway.com.
<sh>Owners Notified of Hearing
<bt>The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has sent nearly 15,000 letters to property owners who would be affected by proposed zoning, subdivision and Comprehensive Plan changes in rural Loudoun, specifically the Rural Policy Area of the county.
The letters notify property owners of the proposed new zoning classification that will affect allowable uses and densities of their property. The letters include attachments that summarize the proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance and Comprehensive Plan.
The letters also notify property owners of the upcoming Board of Supervisors public hearing on the proposals scheduled for Wednesday, June 7, at 6:30 p.m., in the board room of the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison St., S.E., Leesburg. The public hearing is scheduled to continue Saturday, June 10, at 9 a.m. in the board room. The public hearing sessions are scheduled to be broadcast on Adelphia Government Channel 2 and Web cast on the Loudoun County Web site at www.loudoun.gov/webcast.
<sh>Seeking Input
<bt>The Loudoun County Community Services Board (CSB) has launched a strategic planning effort and is seeking input from the greater Loudoun community.
The CSB is responsible for the provision of mental health, mental retardation and substance abuse services in Loudoun County and oversees programs and services of the Loudoun County Department of Mental Health/Mental Retardation/Substance Abuse Services (MH/MR/SAS).
The goal of the strategic planning effort is to develop a plan that will assist the CSB in preparing for and prioritizing current and emerging mental health, mental retardation and substance abuse needs in Loudoun County; clarify the desired direction of mental health, mental retardation, and substance abuse services over next three to five years; and provide a framework for decision-making at the policy, systems and service levels.
The CSB has scheduled two sessions Monday, June 12, from 8:30-10:30 a.m. and from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The sessions will be held in the Aspen Room at 906 Trailview Blvd., in Leesburg. Participants are asked to register by calling 703-777-0378 before June 1.
Anyone who would like to provide input, but cannot attend a session in person, can complete an online CSB survey on the Loudoun County Government Web site at www.loudoun.gov/mhmr.
<sh>Former Resident Charged
<bt>A former Loudoun resident turned himself over to authorities Friday, May 19, for embezzling money from a reward fund he helped establish to assist in the investigation of the 2002 murder of Erica Smith, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office.
In August of 2002 Roosevelt Henderson Jr., 48, approached the Smith family after Erica's murder and offered to help establish a reward fund at the Middleburg Bank. According to the Sheriff's Office, after setting up two accounts Henderson allegedly withdrew money from the reward fund and a separate account up until December of 2003 when the accounts were closed. More $8,000 was taken from the accounts during this time period.
The Smith family, with assistance from local businesses and members of the community, has established a different account that contains a reward of more than $14,000. The money will be given to anyone who has information that leads to the arrest and indictment of Erica's killer.
The body of Erica Heather Smith, then 14 and a rising freshman at Stone Bridge High School, was located Aug. 9, 2002, in a shallow grave in a wooded area of the Beaumeade Corporate Park in Ashburn. Erica had left her home 11 days earlier and was never seen or heard from until the discovery of her body.
Henderson has been charged with grand larceny and money laundering. He was held without bond pending arraignment Monday, May 22. The case remains under investigation and more charges are possible.
<sh>Grilling Rules
<bt>The Loudoun County Fire Marshal's Office reminds
managers and tenants of condominiums, apartments or multi-family dwelling complexes of the following regulations, which apply to the use of charcoal or gas grills in multi-family residential structures.
The Loudoun County Fire Prevention Code states that all "open flame" cooking grills, including gas or charcoal grills, hibachis or similar types of cooking devices, shall not be operated on combustible balconies or within 15 feet of any combustible construction.
This prohibition is intended to help avoid the accidental ignition of a combustible surface, such as a wooden deck or balcony, by hot embers falling from the fire box.
A multi-family structure is any apartment building or condominium style of building where ownership or tenancy is restricted to an individual room or unit and where no fire wall divides or separates the individual room or unit.
Questions may be directed to the Fire Marshal's Office at 703-777-0333 during normal business hours or by visiting the "Fire Marshal" section on the Loudoun County Web site www.loudoun.gov.
<sh>Sterling Man Injured
<bt>A Sterling man is in critical condition after the landscaping pickup truck he was driving was struck broadside by a car Thursday, May 18.
According to the Sheriff's Office, Michael J. Bridgeman, 43, was traveling south on the Route 15 bypass north of the Town of Leesburg when around 9:55 a.m., a 2006 Toyota Corolla ran a stop sign. According to the Sheriff's Office, the Toyota was heading north on business Route 15 when the driver, Sajjad Haider, 62, of Gainesville, disregarded the flashing red light and stop signs at the intersection and crashed into the passenger side of Bridgeman's truck.
The force of the crash caused the pickup to roll over and then back onto all four wheels, throwing Bridgeman from the vehicle. Bridgeman, who does not appear to have been wearing a seat belt, was airlifted to Inova Fairfax Hospital where he is listed in critical condition.
Haider was been charged with reckless driving.
<sh>Citations Issued
<bt>Sheriff's deputies issued 49 citations last week during a driver's license checkpoint in eastern Loudoun.
The checkpoint was conducted on Augusta Drive in the area of Duck Spring Drive in Sterling after deputies who patrol that area came across a number of unlicensed drivers during routine traffic stops.
The Sheriff's Community Relations Section, in cooperation with Traffic Section of the Sheriff's Office, ran the checkpoint from 4:20-7 p.m., Wednesday, May 17.
Fourteen citations were issued for drivers who did not have a driver's license or a valid driver's license, two citations were issued for drivers operating a motor vehicle while their license is suspended, and two citations were issued for drivers in violation of their driving restrictions. There were also two arrests for DUI, one of which was a felony charge.
During the operation 1,104 vehicles passed through the checkpoint and were screened by a deputy. Fifty-three vehicles were pulled off from the roadway for further investigation.