Burglaries in North Arlington May Be Linked
The Arlington County Police Department is looking into a series of 23 residential burglaries that they suspect may be related. The burglaries started in August of last year and have been occurring in houses in the First Police District north of Route 50 and west of Glebe Road.
Police believe that the burglaries are related because most of them happened during the day between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. "Commonly burglaries are done in the nighttime but these have all been done in the daytime" Detective Steve Gomez, Public Information Officer with the police department, said.
Gomez also said that the burglars sometimes knock on the doors of the houses they are about to burglarize to see if anyone is there. "In one of the cases a woman was sleeping in the house and heard the knocking but didn’t answer the door. She hid in the closet while they ransacked her house."
The burglars have been taking small valuables such as jewelry, electronic devices, cash and checkbooks. They have also taken televisions and a bicycle.
Police are advising residents in the burglarized neighborhood to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity and to make an extra effort to secure their homes. Gomez also recommends that residents install and activate alarm systems. "None of the burglarized homes had an alarm," he said. "If burglar has choice between two houses [to burglarize] they’ll choose the home that’s easier to break into."
-David Schultz
Woman Abducted In Her Own Car
A woman was abducted by an armed man on Monday and was subsequently released.
The suspect forced himself into the woman's car and demanded that she get into its trunk. He then forced the woman to deliver a package to an unknown location before releasing her unharmed near the Lee Highway exit of I-66.
The incident started on the Washington, D.C. side of the Key Bridge with a traffic altercation between the two people.
While the woman was in the trunk of her car, she contacted her boyfriend who notified the police of the abduction. The police received updates on the woman's location from her cell phone provider.
"This is a very complex situation," said Detective Steve Gomez, Public Information Officer with the police department. "When you have something like this that's really out of the ordinary the first thing you want to know is whether it really happened."
Gomez said that detectives are now trying to find people who can corroborate the story. Anyone who witnessed this incident or has any information about it should call Detective John Donaggio at 703-228-4167.
-David Schultz
Clerk Wounded In Attempted Robbery
A convenience store clerk was shot in an attempted armed robbery on the 1600 block of South Glebe Road last week.
At approximately 6:20 p.m. on Feb. 15, a man armed with a gun entered the store demanding money. After the suspect hit the clerk with the gun, the clerk threw merchandise at the suspect, prompting the suspect to fire at the clerk.
The clerk was attacked again with the gun but only suffered minor gunshot wounds. The suspect fled without taking anything from the store.
Despite a police search for the suspect, he was not located. He is described as a young, light-skinned male, approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall and 160 pounds. Anyone with information that might help in the Police Department’s investigation should call Detective Scott Linder at 703-228-4183.
Arlington Unveils Emergency Trailer for Pets
The Animal Welfare League (AWL) of Arlington unveiled their new disaster preparedness pet trailer last week.
The trailer was purchased by the Arlington County Government with a grant received from the Department of Homeland Security. It will be used to give shelter to local animals in the event of an emergency and will be stocked with animal crates, pet food, litter pans and other supplies.
Kay Speerstra, Executive Director of the AWL, said that the purchase of the trailer was inspired by recent events.
"After Hurricane Katrina it became clear to everyone that the residents of Arlington County needed a place to shelter their pets in the event of a disaster," she said in a statement. "Over 60 percent of Americans households have at least one pet, so it’s important to have a plan that includes them."
In an emergency situation, AWL members will operate the trailer after towing it to a location selected by the Arlington Office of Emergency Management. "We were pleased to work with Arlington County emergency planners to solve the problem of emergency pet sheltering," Speerstra said.