Crime Scene - The Washington Post's Blog About Local, National and International Crime and Criminal Justice - January 10, 2010

2 men in custody after reports of kidnapping in Bethesda

Police, with dogs and a helicopter, flooded into the area around Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda on Friday afternoon, creating a flurry of excitement, after authorities received a report of a kidnapping, the Montgomery County police said. According...

By Terri Rupar | January 15, 2010; 8:21 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)

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Gilbert Arenas: A man with a golden gun

As noted in Friday's story about Gilbert Arenas's guilty plea: Prosecutors said Arenas brought into the Verizon Center locker room: a .50-caliber gold-plated semi-automatic Desert Eagle with magazine; a 500 magnum, Smith and Wesson revolver; a .45 caliber, black semi-automatic...

By Washington Post Editors | January 15, 2010; 5:47 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Celebrities , The District
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Kaine won't order restored voting rights for Va. ex-felons

On his last day in office, Gov. Tim Kaine will not issue an order for blanket restoration of voting rights for Virginia felons, writes Rosalind Helderman on The Post's Virginia Politics blog: In a letter sent to the ACLU's executive...

By Washington Post Editors | January 15, 2010; 5:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Virginia
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Wizards' Gilbert Arenas pleads guilty to felony

UPDATE: The Post's article from the courthouse is now online. Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas on Friday pleaded guilty in D.C. Superior Court to a felony count of carrying a pistol without a license. The Post will report more news as...

By Washington Post Editors | January 15, 2010; 3:13 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Celebrities , The District , Updates
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Fake shed used in convenience store burglary attempt

New Castle County, Del., police say a Pennsylvania man used what looked like a 6-foot storage shed placed against a convenience store to conceal his efforts to smash his way into the store. Senior Cpl. Trinidad Navarro says undercover officers...

By Washington Post Editors | January 15, 2010; 3:05 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Around the Nation , Updates
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Gaithersburg police chief resigns

Gaithersberg Police Chief John A. King resigned Friday, according to a city press release. His resignation is effective immediately. He had held the job since April 2007....

By Washington Post Editors | January 15, 2010; 2:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Dan Morse , Internal Affairs , Montgomery
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Boy found in Wheaton reunited with family

UPDATE: The boy found in Wheaton was reunited with his family, according to the Montgomery County police. ORIGINAL STORY: A boy who police said has not been able to tell them his name or where he lives was found crying...

By Mary Pat Flaherty | January 15, 2010; 2:07 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Mary Pat Flaherty , Montgomery
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Va. death row inmate will get hearing on fitness for execution

A Virginia death row inmate will get another chance to prove he is mentally retarded and therefore cannot be executed. The Virginia Supreme Court on Friday sent the case of William Joseph Burns of Baker, W.Va., back to Shenandoah County...

By Washington Post Editors | January 15, 2010; 1:47 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Death Penalty , Virginia
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Anne Arundel investigating fatal stabbing of Prince George's man

Anne Arundel County homicide detectives are investigating the December death of a 22-year-old Prince George's County man. Jamal Medina, of the 200 block of Red Clay Road in Laurel, was found lying in Red Clay Road near Route 198 at...

By Mary Pat Flaherty | January 15, 2010; 1:07 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Anne Arundel , Mary Pat Flaherty
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Homicide detectives investigating body found near Pr. George's courthouse

Prince George's County homicide detectives are investigating the death of a man whose body was found near the county courthouse late Thursday night, authorities said. The man, who police said appeared to be in his 40s, was found about 11:40...

By Mary Pat Flaherty | January 15, 2010; 11:03 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Mary Pat Flaherty , Pr. George's
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Woman pleads guilty in deadly Beltway hit-and-run

On Thursday, Kelli Loos pleaded guilty in connection with a wreck on the Capital Beltway that claimed the life of Gradys Mendoza. Loos pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular manslaughter and one count of failure to remain at the...

By Dan Morse | January 15, 2010; 9:46 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Dan Morse , Montgomery , Updates
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Document: Charges against Gilbert Arenas

You can download the (very short) notice of charges against the Wizards' Gilbert Arenas in PDF form here....

By Washington Post Editors | January 15, 2010; 8:35 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Celebrities , From the Courthouse , The District , Updates
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Man starts something he can't finish: A robbery

An Oregon man went into a Kinko's store and handed an employee an unusual note, according to this report: Paul Rhoney, an employee at the store, said officers showed up within six minutes after the man handed over the note....

By Washington Post Editors | January 15, 2010; 8:17 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Around the Nation , Offbeat
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Beer can, Disney glasses help bust Maryland child abusers

A 5-year-old's distinctive pink Disney eyeglasses helped investigators rescue her from a pair of sexual abusers from Bowie and Annapolis. The pair repeatedly had exploited her and her 3-year-old sister and distributed pornographic photos and video of the crimes over...

By Mary Pat Flaherty | January 15, 2010; 5:36 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Anne Arundel , Baltimore , Mary Pat Flaherty
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Wizards' Gilbert Arenas charged with felony in gun case

UPDATE: Read the story by Keith L. Alexander. Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas is charged with carrying a pistol without a license outside home or business, a felony....

By Washington Post Editors | January 14, 2010; 4:33 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Celebrities , Updates
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Reginald Jones, D.C. officer charged with murder, gets new lawyer

Reginald Jones, the D.C. police officer charged with participating in the Dec. 1 fatal robbery of a Southeast Washington drug dealer, replaced his court-appointed attorney and hired new representation. Police charged Jones, a six-year veteran of the police department, with...

By Washington Post Editors | January 14, 2010; 3:52 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Keith L. Alexander , The District , Updates
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Baltimore man charged with impersonating officer, assaulting woman

Baltimore County police have arrested a man say they impersonated an officer and sexually assaulted a woman he pulled over. Thirty-seven-year-old Dennis McLaughlin Jr. was arrested Thursday. He is charged with fourth-degree sex offense, false imprisonment and impersonating a police...

By Washington Post Editors | January 14, 2010; 3:39 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Baltimore
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Rockville man had 'stunning' array of bombmaking chemicals: Witness

The sentencing of Rockville's Collin McKenzie-Gude, which U.S. District Judge Peter J. Messitte postponed last week, picked up again Thursday. Last year, McKenzie-Gude pleaded guilty to charges of storing bomb-making materials in his bedroom closets. On Thursday, the prosecution's first...

By Washington Post Editors | January 14, 2010; 3:10 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Dan Morse , Montgomery , Updates
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Javaris Crittenton's home searched in Wizards gun case

D.C. and Arlington police searched the home of Washington Wizard Javaris Crittenton Thursday morning looking for a gun he reportedly used in a locker room confrontation with teammate Gilbert Arenas, according to sources familiar with the investigation. Police did not find the gun at his Arlington home in the 7:15 a.m. search, one of the sources said.

By Allison Klein | January 14, 2010; 2:13 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Allison Klein , Arlington , Celebrities , Updates
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Woman struck, killed by dump truck in Leesburg

(UPDATED 8:58 p.m.) A woman who had pulled her car to the gravel shoulder of the Route 7 bypass was struck and killed by a passing dump truck Thursday morning after she exited her car, Leesburg police said. The woman...

By Mary Pat Flaherty | January 14, 2010; 11:55 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Loudoun , Mary Pat Flaherty , Virginia
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Man accused of attacking deputy charged in jail with carjacking

The Virginia State Police on Wednesday arrested a man for a September armed carjacking and abduction that took place in the parking lot of a store in Gainesville. Their man was easy to find: He was already in jail. George...

By Mary Pat Flaherty | January 14, 2010; 11:01 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Mary Pat Flaherty , Updates , Virginia
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Montgomery police employee charged with shoplifting from Home Depot

In his 15 years at the Montgomery County Police Department, Gary Arter has seen how a lot of people get caught: He is a forensic specialist who goes to crime scenes where he collects evidence for DNA samples, dusts for...

By Washington Post Editors | January 14, 2010; 9:55 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Dan Morse , Montgomery
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Southeast D.C. man found shot dead near his home

A Southeast D.C. man was found shot near his home Wednesday, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Jheryl Hodge, 20, of the 1100 block of Eaton Road, SE, was found shot on a sidewalk on that same block at about...

By Mary Pat Flaherty | January 14, 2010; 9:15 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Homicide , Mary Pat Flaherty , The District
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Man, 20, found shot dead on Northeast D.C. sidewalk

A Southeast D.C. man was found shot dead on a Northeast sidewalk Wednesday, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Nadar Mobley, 20, of the 4800 block of G St. SE, was found in front of 5402 Blaine St. NE by...

By Mary Pat Flaherty | January 14, 2010; 9:11 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Homicide , Mary Pat Flaherty , The District
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Men drove car on frozen canal, fell in

Two UK men who thought it might be fun to drive on a frozen canal soon found their car sinking through the ice, according to this report: The pair narrowly escaped death after their vehicle broke through ice on the...

By Washington Post Editors | January 14, 2010; 8:04 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Around the World , Offbeat
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Editorial: Post on crime in D.C.

In an editorial today, The Post discusses falling crime rates in The District in 2009 -- and then tackles perhaps the most pressing question: How to handle crime in the city's most violent areas?...

By Washington Post Editors | January 13, 2010; 12:32 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: From the Post , The District
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Editorial: Post on voting rights for Va. ex-felons

In an editorial Wednesday, The Post's editorial board discusses voting rights for ex-felons in Virginia, writing: ... even nonviolent ex-convicts like Ms. [Jennifer] McDaniel, who have worked hard, rebuilt their lives and done all the state has asked of them,...

By Washington Post Editors | January 13, 2010; 10:48 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: From the Post , Virginia
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Montgomery shooting victim was Pr. George's man

Montgomery County police found the county's first homicide victim of the year early Tuesday, an 18-year-old man who had been reported missing since late November in Prince George's County, authorities said. Montgomery police identified the victim as Alex Nando Roman,...

By Mary Pat Flaherty | January 13, 2010; 9:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Dan Morse , Homicide , Montgomery , Pr. George's , Updates
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Man found shot dead in Southeast D.C.

D.C. homicide detectives are investigating the death of Christopher L. Jones, 23, who was found shot Tuesday afternoon inside a vehicle in the 4700 block of Alabama Avenue in Southeast Washington. Jones, of the 4400 block of G Street SE,...

By Mary Pat Flaherty | January 13, 2010; 8:46 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Homicide , Mary Pat Flaherty , The District
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Canadian trucker caught with Ecstasy faces sentencing in Frederick

A Canadian truck driver faces sentencing in Frederick for drug-dealing convictions involving large amounts of Ecstasy and marijuana seized more than a year ago. Forty-six-year-old Mario Plourde, of Saint-Hubert-de-Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec, was convicted under a plea agreement last February of two...

By Washington Post Editors | January 13, 2010; 8:40 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Maryland , Narcotics , Updates
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N.C. group joins search for missing Va. girl

A North Carolina-based group is joining the search for a Virginia Tech student who vanished after attending a Metallica concert in Charlottesville. Morgan Harrington's parents announced the participation of Community United Effort - Center for Missing Persons at a news...

By Washington Post Editors | January 13, 2010; 8:22 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Around the Nation , Virginia
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'Bumbling idiots' kidnap the wrong guy: Police

Three Missouri men charged with kidnapping a New Jersey man were caught -- and then learned they kidnapped the wrong guy, according to this report: “Based on the investigation thus far, we believe this to be a case of mistaken...

By Washington Post Editors | January 13, 2010; 8:09 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Around the Nation , Offbeat
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Md. fire station catches on fire

Three Montgomery County firefighters had just finished lunch Monday when their lieutenant approached with alarming instructions: Part of the station was on fire. Find it. Things turned out OK. No one was hurt. A sprinkler system kept the blaze --...

By Dan Morse | January 13, 2010; 6:37 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Dan Morse , Fires & Fire Safety , Montgomery
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Off-duty Md. sheriff runs down suspected shoplifter

Since St. Mary's County Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron was elected in 2006, he has staked his reputation to data-driven policing. He often cites his implementation of weekly CompStat meetings, where top commanders review crime statistics, as one of his greatest...

By Matt Zapotosky | January 13, 2010; 6:01 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Matt Zapotosky , St. Mary's | Tags: BJ's Wholesale Club, Sheriff Timothy K. Cameron, St. Mary's, chase
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Police at traffic stop save 12 from Pr. William house fire

Police officers often say there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop. They never know what they're going to find, they said, and that was reinforced early Sunday morning in the Manassas area when a traffic stop turned...

By Josh White | January 12, 2010; 3:39 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Fires & Fire Safety , Heroes , Josh White , Pr. William
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Prison protection-for-soup scheme broken up in Pr. George's: Source

In its heyday, the Mob was known for running so-called protection schemes, in which small business owners were told to pay "protection" money, sometimes known as "rent" -- or else. It seems some inmates at the Prince George's County Jail...

By Ruben Castaneda | January 12, 2010; 2:21 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Pr. George's , Ruben Castaneda
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Motorcycle club's president ordered held ahead of trial

A federal judge in Charleston, W. Va., has rejected the national president of the Pagans Motorcycle Club's bid to for freedom pending trial on racketeering charges. U.S. District Judge Thomas Johnston ruled that 49-year-old David "Bart" Barbeito, of Myersville, Md.,...

By Washington Post Editors | January 12, 2010; 2:06 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Maryland
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D.C. swindler's handbags up for auction online

Harriette Walters' ill-gotten goods could be your fashion steal. The extensive handbag collection of Walters, ringleader of a nearly $49 million operation that stole tax revenues undetected from the District for close to two decades, is up for auction; The...

By Mary Pat Flaherty | January 12, 2010; 1:10 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Mary Pat Flaherty , The District
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Video: Man posting as inspector, stealing from businesses

Montgomery County police say a man is posing as a fire inspector and building inspector, and stealing from businesses. The suspect is seen in these excerpts from surveillance footage....

By Washington Post Editors | January 12, 2010; 12:43 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Crime, Seen , Montgomery
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Charles firefighters rescued during their own rescue mission

Maryland State Police have rescued two Charles County firefighters whose boat lost power in the Potomac River. Police say helicopters were dispatched Monday afternoon to rescue two people whose canoe had overturned near Sweden Point. Those people made it to...

By Washington Post Editors | January 12, 2010; 12:36 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Charles
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Leesburg runaways turn selves in to police

Three Leesburg girls who had been missing for five days turned themselves in to police early Tuesday at a grocery store, authorities said. They were not harmed and appeared healthy. Police said they were not abducted or coerced to leave...

By Allison Klein | January 12, 2010; 12:15 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Allison Klein , Loudoun , Updates
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Drug case dropped days after police detain defense attorney

UPDATE, Jan. 12: A D.C police spokeswoman declined to comment on this item. District prosecutors abruptly dropped a drug possession charge against a Southeast Washington man Monday, just two days after the man and his attorney were detained while the...

By Keith L. Alexander | January 12, 2010; 12:01 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: From the Courthouse , Keith L. Alexander , The District
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Crime Scene: January 10, 2010 - January 16, 2010