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Police & Fire
Virginia Man Convicted For Role In DMV Dog Fighting Ring Virginia Man Convicted For Role In DMV Dog Fighting Ring
Virginia Man Convicted For Role In DMV Dog Fighting Ring A 45-year-old Stafford man has been convicted for his role in an animal fighting ring in the DMV for five years, federal officials said. Mark Joseph Rodriguez, aka “Slow Poke,” and co-conspirators from the region used a messaging app that they called "The DMV Board" or "The Board" to discuss training fighting dogs, exchange videos about dogfighting, and arrange and coordinate dog fights, out of view of law enforcement, Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said. Members of the DMV Board also used the app to compare methods of killing dogs that lost f…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Woman Who Drove Over Girl Standing On Sidewalk Waiting For DC Bus With Father Sentenced Woman Who Drove Over Girl Standing On Sidewalk Waiting For DC Bus With Father Sentenced
Thaniyyah Veney Sentenced For Driving Over 5-Year-Old Girl The woman who drove into a 5-year-old girl standing on the sidewalk waiting for a bus with her father over the summer last year in Southeast DC will spend years in prison after admitting to the crime late last year, federal authorities announced. Thaniyyah Veney, 33, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to aggravated assault while armed with a vehicle in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia following a July incident that left the child pinned under her vehicle, requiring a bold save by first responders while she simply walked away while under the influence. On Friday, Veney was sentenc…

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by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Firearm, Magazine Seized From Unlicensed MD Duo In Arlington Traffic Stop: Cops Firearm, Magazine Seized From Unlicensed MD Duo In Arlington Traffic Stop: Cops
Firearm, Magazine Seized From Unlicensed MD Duo In Arlington Traffic Stop: Cops A loaded gun, magazine, and "distribution amount" of marijuana was seized from a Maryland couple during a routine traffic stop in Arlington, authorities aid. Officers stopped a vehicle at 15th Street S. at Richmond Highway Wednesday evening, March 27, for a moving violation and improper registration, police said. Neither the driver, Jonavan Nickens, 25, of Hyattsville, nor his passenger, Carlita Marbley, 25, of District Heights, had a valid driver's license, authorities said. During a search of the car, a loaded firearm with extended magazine and a distribution amount of marijuana wer…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
No Charges For US Park Police Officer Struck During Fatal Northwest DC Shooting: Feds No Charges For US Park Police Officer Struck During Fatal Northwest DC Shooting: Feds
No Charges For US Park Police Officer Struck During Fatal Northwest DC Shooting: Feds There will be no charges for a US Park Police Officer implicated in a fatal shooting of a District resident last year, federal authorities announced on Monday. Federal prosecutors say that there is insufficient evidence to charge the officer following the midday shooting that left 30-year-old Northwest DC resident Turell Delonte Campbell dead the day before Thanksgiving last year. "The US Attorney’s Office and the MPD Internal Affairs Division conducted a comprehensive review of the incident, which included a review of law enforcement and civilian accounts, crime-camera footage, BWC fo…

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by Zak Failla
News
'International Fugitive' From Area Sentenced For Stalking Co-Working After Years On The Lam 'International Fugitive' From Area Sentenced For Stalking Co-Working After Years On The Lam
'International Fugitive' From Area Sentenced For Stalking Co-Working After Years On The Lam Authorities say that a Maryland man who spent more than four years as an international fugitive attempting to avoid prosecution for stalking a younger co-worker will spend time behind bars. Ranjith Keerikkattil, 35, formerly of Catonsville, left the United States after being found guilty of stalking a junior co-worker before he was re-arrested four years later, authorities announced. On Wednesday, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release after being convicted and then failing to appear in court, according to the DOJ. Prosecutors said that Keeri…

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by Zak Failla
News
Public Masturbator Admits To Sex Offenses Near Elementary School, Threatening Neighbors In DC Public Masturbator Admits To Sex Offenses Near Elementary School, Threatening Neighbors In DC
Public Masturbator Admits To Sex Offenses Near Elementary School, Threatening Neighbors In DC A serial masturbator with a penchant for lewd incidents in Washington, DC has admitted to separate incidents near an elementary school where children were walking, federal authorities announced. Derrick Jones, 54, pleaded guilty this week for masturbating in public near Bancroft Elementary School in Mt. Pleasant, and then making aggressive threats towards neighbors who implored him to stop. According to court documents, on April 3, Jones was caught by a neighbor pleasuring himself outside their apartment building, which is a block away from the school. The neighbor - who was with her 11-…

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by Zak Failla
News
Man Who Assaulted Congresswoman, Police In DC Cops To Crime Man Who Assaulted Congresswoman, Police In DC Cops To Crime
Man Who Assaulted Congresswoman, Police In DC Cops To Crime The Washington, DC man who assaulted a Congresswoman in the elevator of her apartment building admitted to attacking her earlier this year, federal authorities announced. Kendrid Hamlin, 26, was arrested and charged with simple assault following an attack on Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig on Thursday, Feb. 9 inside an H Street building in Northeast, DC.  This week, the Department of Justice announced that Hamlin pleaded guilty to two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer. "According to Hamlin’s admissions in court, he willfully assaulted a member of the House of Representati…

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by Zak Failla
News
Maryland Man Admits To Destestable 'DMV Board' Dogfighting Conspiracy In Region Maryland Man Admits To Destestable 'DMV Board' Dogfighting Conspiracy In Region
Maryland Man Admits To Destestable 'DMV Board' Dogfighting Conspiracy In Region Authorities announced that a Maryland man who helped run a violent dogfighting ring throughout the region admitted to his role in the conspiracy, which saw members viciously training and killing their animals when they lost. Forestville resident Laron Mecco “Frog” West, 46, pleaded guilty to conspiring to engage in dogfighting with other co-conspirators in Virginia, Washington, DC, and Maryland, federal prosecutors said. According to court documents, between at least May 2015 and August 2020, West and others used a private messaging app they referred to as “The DMV Board” to discuss trainin…

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by Zak Failla