Water main failures force Southeast D.C. families out
District officials are investigating a series of water main breaks that affected at least 50 households and displaced two families in Southeast Washington. The investigation includes a review of work at the nearby Fort Stanton Reservoir that may have affected the pressure in the distribution system, according to the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority. Five water mains and one broken connector to a fire hydrant broke early Tuesday morning. Residents in neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River were advised to conserve water until the repairs are completed. – Scott McCabe
Former pharmacist sentenced
The former chief pharmacist at St. Elizabeths Hospital was sentenced to two years in prison for stealing $95,000 worth of medication. Raymond Jackson, 48, of Waldorf, began selling medication through a company he and his wife owned called Jackson Pharmacy, prosecutors said. The medication was taken from the mental health hospital and the health maintenance organization where his wife worked. Brenda Jackson was sentenced to six months in prison. – Scott McCabe
Arrest in robbery, rape case
Travis Rashard Shepperson, 20, of Hyattsville, was arrested Monday hours after he allegedly robbed and raped a store employee, Prince George’s County police said. Around 10:55 a.m. Shepperson entered a business on the 7000 block of Martin Luther King Avenue in Bowie, displayed a handgun and demanded money. When the female employee was unable to comply with his demands, Shepperson forced her to the back of the store and raped her. He fled with the victim’s property and store items. – Freeman Klopott
Man pleads guilty in rip-off
A Chevy Chase-based social worker and U.S. Department of Defense contractor pleaded guilty Tuesday in the U.S. District Court of Maryland for inflating insurance claims submitted to the Pentagon, a spokeswoman for the federal court said. Between 2003 and 2007 Melvin Shandler, 61, used his position as a consultant with Walter Reed Medical Army Center to bilk $247,000 by overbilling the federal agency. – Freeman Klopott
