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Police & Fire
Discarded Ashes To Blame For $50K Christmas Day Fire In Virginia, Officials Say Discarded Ashes To Blame For $50K Christmas Day Fire In Virginia, Officials Say
Discarded Ashes To Blame For $50K Christmas Day Fire In Virginia, Officials Say Christmas was nearly spoiled for a Loudoun County family when discarded ashes from a holiday fire sparked and caused an expensive fire in Ashburn. On Monday, first responders were called to Janneys Corner Court to investigate a reported fire that started in a garage, but was unable to spread to the rest of the home, simply because of a closed door. The incident was reported shortly before 4 p.m. on Dec. 25.  Crews were called to the two-story home, where they found a fire in an attached garage that was quickly knocked down, but not before causing an estimated $50,000 in damage for the…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Virginia Man Rearrested On New Child Porn Possession Charges: Police Virginia Man Rearrested On New Child Porn Possession Charges: Police
Virginia Man Rearrested On New Child Porn Possession Charges: Police A man who was hit with a child porn charge earlier this year in Loudoun County is back in custody after being re-arrested and charged with new offenses, the Leesburg Police Department announced on Thursday. Christopher Collins, 34, has been charged with four new counts of possession of child pornography following his arrest in September following an investigation into devices seized from his Leesburg home earlier this year. The initial arrest came from a cyber tip relating to child pornography, in which a Leesburg police detective assigned to the NOVA-DC Internet Crimes Against Children (IC…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
DWI Drug Dealer Hits Occupied Cars In High-Speed Pursuit Through Loudoun County: Sheriff DWI Drug Dealer Hits Occupied Cars In High-Speed Pursuit Through Loudoun County: Sheriff
DWI Drug Dealer Hits Occupied Cars In High-Speed Pursuit Through Loudoun County: Sheriff A 23-year-old man who struck multiple occupied vehicles in a drunken police pursuit has been arrested, authorities in Loudoun County said. A driver later identified as Rodkeem R. Ceasar Green was pulled over around 4:50 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8 by Loudoun County Sheriffs Deputies in a 2012 Chevrolet Impala in Sterling, on suspicious he was DWI, the sheriff's office said. When deputies activated their emergency equipment for the traffic stop, Green sped off. Deputies initiated a pursuit, during which Green struck multiple occupied vehicles and recklessly endangered the public, police said…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Man Who Preyed On Three Women In Three Hours Accused Of Sexual Battery In Virginia: Police Man Who Preyed On Three Women In Three Hours Accused Of Sexual Battery In Virginia: Police
Man Who Preyed On Three Women In Three Hours Accused Of Sexual Battery In Virginia: Police A 20-year-old Virginia man is behind bars after preying on three women within three hours in Loudoun County. Ashburn resident Ryan Cunningham was apprehended without incident for alleged sexual assaults that were reported back-to-back-to-back on Monday, Dec. 11, the sheriff's office announced. Cunningham's day began at approximately 1 p.m., when a woman hiking on a trail near the 23000 block of Virginia Rose Place in Ashburn reported that a man walked by and inappropriately touched her, officials said. He just getting started. According to a Loudoun County Sheriff's Office spokesperson, a…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Reckless Driver Behind Bars Facing Fresh Felony Charges In Virginia: Police Reckless Driver Behind Bars Facing Fresh Felony Charges In Virginia: Police
Reckless Driver Behind Bars Facing Fresh Felony Charges In Virginia: Police A man already behind bars across the country is facing new charges in Virginia after taking police in Loudoun County on a wild ride earlier this year, authorities announced. Ricardo Avilez-Blanco, 27, has been arrested in connection to a series of reckless driving incidents involving members of the Leesburg Police Department in October while posing a threat to the public.  The long day for officers began at around 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 14 when they attempted to stop a speeding white Camaro, which took off on East Market Street before stopping in the area of Heritage High School…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
DWI Driver Hits Loudoun County Police Car, Wrecks Her Own At Different Crash Scene: Cops DWI Driver Hits Loudoun County Police Car, Wrecks Her Own At Different Crash Scene: Cops
DWI Driver Hits Loudoun County Police Car, Wrecks Her Own At Different Crash Scene: Cops A 21-year-old drunk driver has been arrested after a crash involving a police cruiser in Loudoun County over the weekend, authorities announced. Zoe Carll, of Centreville, struck the back of a Leesburg police car that was blocking the intersection of East Market Street and Prosperity Avenue SE for a separate crash investigation at 11:35 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11, local police said. The cruiser, which had its emergency lights activated, as unoccupied at the time. Carll was charged with DWI.

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Arrest Made Shopping Center Shooting, Additional Suspects Possible: Loudoun Sheriff Arrest Made Shopping Center Shooting, Additional Suspects Possible: Loudoun Sheriff
Arrest Made Shopping Center Shooting, Additional Suspects Possible: Loudoun Sheriff Police have made an arrest in a Loudoun County shopping plaza shooting. Richard Edmundson, of no fixed addressed, is believed to have shot one person in the parking lot of the Dulles Retail Plaza in Sterling on Nov. 27, the county sheriff said. Police believe there was more than one individual involved in this incident, and the identification of the additional individuals remains under investigation. Edmundson was charged with Malicious Wounding and taken to the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center where he is being held without bond. The victim remains hospitalized in stable condition. …

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Smashed Wine Bottle, Shattered Doors Left In Man's $20K Destruction Spree Across Loudoun: Cops Smashed Wine Bottle, Shattered Doors Left In Man's $20K Destruction Spree Across Loudoun: Cops
Smashed Wine Bottle, Shattered Doors Left In Man's $20K Destruction Spree Across Loudoun: Cops A man who racked up a $20,000 bill just in the property he destroyed at fast food restaurants across Loudoun County is in custody, authorities said. Reyan H. Ibrahim's night of destruction began around 8:15 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27, at the McDonald's at the Ashburn Shopping Plaza, when he destroyed an electronic menu board in the drive-thru lane, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said. At dawn, Ibrahim moved on to the Sheetz on Windmill Parc Drive in Sterling, where he broke a bottle of wine, and hit the front door entrance with a wrench, causing it to shatter, police said. At 8 a.m., I…

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by Cecilia Levine
Obituaries
Virginia Single Mom Seeks Support After Disabled Daughter's Death Virginia Single Mom Seeks Support After Disabled Daughter's Death
Virginia Single Mom Seeks Support After Disabled Daughter's Death A Loudoun County mom is seeking support after her disabled daughter died. Jessica Josiah Burke, of Leesburg, died Monday, Nov. 27, according to her mom Betheny Burke. She was 18 years old. Affectionately called "Pia" by her mom, Jessica battled Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, a rare genetic condition, and "brought immeasurable joy and love to those around her," her mom said on a GoFundMe campaign. "As a single parent, this devoted mom faced challenges with resilience and strength, providing unwavering care for her special daughter," Betheny writes. "Now, in the wake of an unexpected loss, w…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Loudoun County Shopping Plaza Shooting: Suspect's Photo Released Loudoun County Shopping Plaza Shooting: Suspect's Photo Released
Loudoun County Shopping Plaza Shooting: Suspect's Photo Released Police have released a photo of a man tied to a Virginia shopping plaza shooting this week. The shooting behind Milk & Honey Cafe at the Dulles Retail Plaza in Sterling left one person seriously injured around 6:25 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said. Preliminary reports indicate that the suspect and the victim knew each other and that this was not a random act. The suspect is described as a tall, slender, Black male, wearing dark camouflage clothing, a scarf, and a black stocking hat. The victim was taken to an area hospital where he remains in stable c…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Police Probing Shooting At Busy Virginia Shopping Plaza (DEVELOPING) Police Probing Shooting At Busy Virginia Shopping Plaza (DEVELOPING)
Police Probing Shooting At Busy Virginia Shopping Plaza (Developing) An investigation has been launched in Loudoun County after a shooting was reported in the area of a busy shopping plaza, police say. Shortly after 7 p.m. on Monday night, members of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office were called to the 22000 block of Dulles Retail Plaza in Sterling, where there was a reported shooting. 22000 block of Dulles Retail Plaza in Sterling Google Maps satellite view No information about the victim or possible shooter has been released by the sheriff's office. More details are expected to be released as the investigation continues. LCSO is conducting …

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Pedestrian Seriously Injured In Leesburg Crash, Witnesses Sought Pedestrian Seriously Injured In Leesburg Crash, Witnesses Sought
Pedestrian Seriously Injured In Leesburg Crash, Witnesses Sought Police in Loudoun County are looking to speak with anyone who witnessed a serious pedestrian crash Thanksgiving weekend. A man was struck by a vehicle around 530 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 25 near the Leesburg Public Safety Center, local police said. The pedestrian was crossing Plaza Street NE in a westbound direction in a marked crosswalk, police said. The driver remained on-scene and is cooperating with police.  The pedestrian was transported to an area hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. One lane of Plaza Street NE remained closed for a few hours while officers …

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by Cecilia Levine