Suspects Sought
<bt>The Sheriff’s Office is searching for two suspects allegedly involved in the robbery of a taxi cab driver in Sterling last week.
Loudoun Sheriff’s investigators have obtained warrants for robbery and malicious wounding for Jose Juan Marquez, 18, of Ashburn, and Paul Subhro Baroi, 21, of Sterling. On Friday, the Sheriff’s Office released surveillance video from the Sterling Getty Mart gas station, which led to the identity of the suspects.
According to the Sheriff's Office, the robbery occurred around 10:30 p.m., July 25, after a driver for Dulles Coach Inc. was dispatched to the Getty Mart on East Holly Avenue. The driver picked up two suspects who asked to be taken to Maryland. As the driver headed south on Sterling Boulevard one of the suspects brandished a knife and demanded money.
The driver was told to stop in the area of Shepard Drive near the intersection of Glenn Drive. The victim received a cuts when he attempted to exit the van. According to the Sheriff's Office, the suspects removed cash and other items from the driver. The suspects then fled on foot. The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment for his injuries.
Anyone who can knows the whereabouts of these two suspects is asked to contact Investigator M. Grimsley of the Loudoun Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at 703-777-0475. If the caller wishes to remain, contact Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919.
<sh>Crash Kills W.Va. Woman
<bt>A single-vehicle crash early Saturday morning near Ashburn killed a West Virginia woman.
According to the Sheriff's Office, around 3:55 a.m., July 28, a 1998 Lincoln Navigator was traveling northbound on Loudoun County Parkway just south of Route 7. The driver of the vehicle, Ana Maria Maribel Collantes of Ashburn, lost control of the SUV. The vehicle entered the median, corrected back onto the roadway, where the driver overcorrected causing the vehicle to slide sideways and roll several times. Both the driver and the passenger, Ana Daysi Ochoa, 21, of Harper's Ferry, W.Va., were ejected from the vehicle.
The driver was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital with severe injuries. The passenger died at the scene. Both the driver and passenger were not wearing seatbelts.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
<sh>Increase in Crime
<Bt>The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office noted an increase in criminal activity over the weekend. The following is a rundown of noteworthy incidents and arrests by deputies.
* Sometime between 7:30 p.m., Friday, July 27, and 4:30 p.m., Saturday, July 28, unknown subjects entered a residence in the 20970 block of Killawog Terrace in Ashburn. Items taken during the burglary included laptops and two video-game systems.
* On Saturday, July 28, deputies responded to the Regal CountrySide movie theater around 11 p.m. where a 19-year-old victim reported he was assaulted by several suspects. The suspects were described as a black male and two Hispanic males. All three were described as being in their late teens to early 20s. The black male was further described as having his hair in dreadlocks. The two Hispanic male suspects were both said to have short hair. A cell phone was taken during the incident. The Sheriff’s Office is investigating whether the assault is gang related.
* Shortly after midnight, deputies arrested Oscar Guillermo, 23, of Sterling. He was charged with aggravated malicious wounding, robbery, possession of marijuana and possession drug paraphernalia after a robbery and assault on Sanderson Drive in Sterling. The suspect allegedly assaulted an acquaintance and stabbed him in the leg with a knife. The suspect then stole a small amount of money from the victim. The victim sustained minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital.
* Early Sunday, July 29, Donald Franklin Bailey Jr., 20, of Sterling, was charged after he allegedly damaged 15 cars in the 46400 block of Springwood Court in Sterling. The suspect was located around 6 a.m. and apprehended after a brief foot pursuit. Bailey was charged with throwing a missile at an occupied vehicle, two counts of possession of a schedule II narcotic, 14 counts of destruction of property, resisting arrest and drunk in public. He was being held without bond.
* Later Sunday morning, an unknown subject removed cash from Crosen’s Store located in the 42380 block of Route 50. The suspect was seen in the store around 10 a.m. and is described as an adult black male, 40 to 50 years old, with a heavy build. He has short hair with a receding hairline. A suspect vehicle is a possible dark colored SUV.
* Around 8:10 p.m. Sunday night, two unknown subjects were seen removing 14 cartons of cigarettes from the Bloom grocery store in the Farmwell Hunt Plaza of Ashburn. The suspects were described as a white male and a black male. The suspects were approached by a store employee and fled the store, and possibly left the scene in a white minivan.
* Early Monday, July 30, two unknown subjects stole a van that was left running and unlocked outside of the 7-Eleven convenience store on Davenport Drive in Sterling. The suspects are described as a white male and a black male. The white male was said to be 6 feet 2 inches, 180 pounds, with a light-blue shirt, jeans and a black baseball cap. The second suspect was said to be 5 feet 10 inches tall, 150 pounds, wearing a black shirt and black shorts. The vehicle was a green 2000 Ford Windstar.
If anyone has information regarding the identity of the unidentified suspects in the above cases, contact the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division at 703-777-0475. To remain anonymous, contact Loudoun Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919. If the information leads to an arrest and indictment the caller could be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.
<sh>Funding Passes House
<Bt>The annual spending bill that funds the Department of Justice approved by the House includes $1.5 million for the Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force, according to Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10).
Wolf, who is a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and served as chairman of what was previously called the Science-State-Justice-Commerce Appropriations subcommittee from 2001-2006, has led the effort to secure federal funding for the task force.
<sh>Successful Camps
<Bt>The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office concluded its final McGruff Safety Camp Friday, July 27, of the summer for the 19th successful year. The camps began back in the summer of 1988 and have continued every summer through a joint effort between the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and Loudoun County Fire and Rescue Services.
Throughout the camps, children met law-enforcement officers, K-9 officers and saw firsthand law enforcement and fire/rescue vehicles. On the final day of each camp the parents were treated to a ceremony where their children present what they have learned throughout the week.
A total of 220 children attended the camps.
The annual camps are held at Evergreen Elementary School in Leesburg and allow children who are entering kindergarten and first grade to learn various topics on safety including fire safety, bicycle safety and 9-1-1 emergencies. The camps also discuss a number of safety issues from how to identify poisonous household items and what to do if they come upon a firearm.
<sh>Safety Grants Awarded
<bt>Louodun County has received a total of $65,352 in grant monies, mostly from the federal government. The grants, 263 in all, were awarded to local, state and nonprofit programs to support transportation safety. Loudoun's grant was comprised of more than $54,000 in federal funds and more than $10,000 in local matching funds.