Police Blotter

The Blotter: Man arrested in P.G. school break-ins

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:18:15 GMT

Police: Death of Silver Spring woman ‘suspicious’

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:28:03 GMT

Montgomery County police are investigating the death of a 23-year-old woman in Silver Spring. Police are calling the death “suspicious.” Officers responding to a 911 call found Mayra Martinez-Hernandez unresponsive in the 8800 block of Garland Avenue in the Long Branch community. There was no apparent cause of death. An autopsy is scheduled.

Man’s body found in burning van in Bethesda

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:27:27 GMT

Montgomery County police are investigating the death of a 45-year-old man found inside a burning van in Bethesda early Monday morning. At about 4 a.m., police found a minivan partially on the median at the corner of Bradley Boulevard and Arlington Road. The vehicle was fully engulfed in flames with the driver still inside. Police later identified the dead man as Ebrima Sarr of Takoma Park.

Teen questioned in Southeast school fire

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:25:59 GMT

D.C. fire officials were questioning a juvenile about what they believed was an intentionally set fire at a high school in Southeast Washington. The fire happened at about 10:30 a.m. Monday at Anacostia Senior High School. Summer school students and staff were evacuated and nobody was hurt, said D.C. fire spokesman Pete Piringer. The fire caused about $25,000 in damage and was contained to the second floor.

Annandale man admits to stealing $40 million in fuel

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 01:25:20 GMT

A Fairfax County man pleaded guilty Monday to being part of a ring that stole nearly $40 million worth of fuel from a U.S. Army base in Iraq and selling it on the black market. Michel Jamil, 59, of Annandale, was accused of acting as the translator to help smuggle more than 10 million gallons of fuel. The thefts occurred at Camp Liberty in Baghdad between October 2007 and May 2008. After loading the fuel trucks, Jamil drove outside the camp and turned the trucks over to Iraqi drivers, prosecutors said. Jamil is the third man to plead guilty in the conspiracy.

Lorton man dies after crashing into parked car

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:06:05 GMT

A 21-year-old man was killed when he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a parked car in Lorton.

The incident happened shortly before midnight Friday. Allen T. Jones, of Lorton, was attempting a right turn in the 8400 block of Silverdale Court, when he lost control of his car, a 1989 Volkswagen.

Alcohol may have been a factor, Fairfax County police said.

This is the 15th fatal crash in the county this year. At this time last year there were nine.

Child molester sentenced to 50 years in prison

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:05:10 GMT

A 42-year-old Montgomery County man was sentenced to 50 years in prison for sexual assault of a young relative.

Chao Zhang pleaded guilty to 16 charges, including sexual abuse and two counts of rape in the second degree. Zhang began molesting the child when she was 9 years old, forcing her to have sex a least once a week for five years.

Airplane crash injures two Herndon men

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:18:07 GMT

Two Herndon men were seriously injured when their plane crashed near Manassas, police said.

Robert Vachon and Ronald Mangas, both 24, began to experience problems when their fixed-wing plane took off a little before 5 p.m. Friday, authorities said. They tried to return to the airport but instead crashed in a wooded area.

5-year-old girl drowns in College Park public pool

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:17:22 GMT

A 5-year-old girl drowned in a College Park public pool, police said. The girl was spotted floating face down by a lifeguard Friday, a spokesman for Maryland National Capital Park Police said. The guard cleared the pool of its roughly 250 swimmers and started CPR, but she could not be saved.

The girl was with a group from a day camp, authorities said. Her identity has not been released.

Police identify girl, 7, killed by falling tree

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:16:59 GMT

A 40-year-old woman and her 7-year-old daughter were killed when a tree branch fell on their minivan in Chevy Chase, police said.

Kelly M. Murray had six other children in her minivan when the limb fell on her car, killing Murray and her daughter Sloane, Montgomery County authorities said. The other children, who ranged in age from 10 months to 11 years old, were sent to the hospital and are expected to recover. The group was coming back from a swimming pool when a storm ripped through the area and knocked down the tree Friday evening.