A Prince William judge refused another delay in the Naresh Bhatt murder trial, a Dumfries motel operator was sentenced in a federal fentanyl and commercial-sex case, Manassas is asking the public how First Friday should change, and early voting for the Nov. 3 election opens Friday.

Judge keeps Bhatt murder trial on Oct. 5 calendar

According to InsideNoVa, Prince William Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Irving on Thursday denied a defense motion to postpone the trial of Naresh Bhatt, the Manassas Park man charged with first-degree murder in the 2024 disappearance and presumed death of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt. Chief Public Defender Tracey Lenox argued the case is too complex and that the defense needed more time to review evidence; Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Sarah Sami said further delay would keep Mamta’s family, including relatives traveling from Nepal, in limbo.

Irving said she could not “in good conscience grant a continuance,” citing the risk that witnesses and evidence would be lost. After a Sept. 25 pretrial conference, the 24-day trial is set for dates beginning Oct. 5 and running into mid-November. WJLA reported the case has already sat in circuit court for two years after multiple earlier postponements.

Dumfries motel operator sentenced in fentanyl and sex-ring case

According to InsideNoVa, Kosha Sharma, 53, one of the operators of the Red Carpet Inn in Dumfries, was sentenced Thursday to nearly 11 years in federal prison for turning the motel’s third floor into a hub for fentanyl sales and commercial sex. Federal prosecutors said Sharma and her husband, Tarun Sharma, 55, ran the inn from May 2023 until a January raid and steered illegal activity onto a restricted third floor rather than removing those guests.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alexandria said guests overdosed at the hotel and that Sharma found at least two fatal overdose victims in third-floor rooms in 2025. FBI and Prince William police undercover work from March 2025 to January 2026 included at least 14 apparent prostitution encounters and 16 controlled drug buys. Co-defendant Margo Waldon Pierce, who prosecutors said sold about 281 grams of fentanyl to undercover officers, was sentenced Sept. 10 to four years.

Manassas sets Sept. 21 session on First Friday’s future

According to InsideNoVa, Manassas officials and Old Town business owners are debating the future of First Friday after the Sept. 4 shooting that killed 16-year-old Patriot High student Ashley Intihar, an uninvolved bystander outside the train depot. The city and Historic Manassas Inc. have already canceled October’s Second Friday. A public discussion is set for Sept. 21 at City Hall.

Police have charged Tasheem Rashad Douglas, 21, of Prince William County; Talib Davis, 21, of Remington; and Xavier Wanzer, 19, of Unionville. Officials estimated about 10,000 people were downtown that night. The city said it will use the pause to review how future gatherings are run and to collect community input.

Early voting for Nov. 3 starts Friday across Virginia

According to the Virginia Department of Elections, in-person early voting for the Nov. 3 general election begins Friday, Sept. 18, and runs through 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. The official 45-day window starts Saturday, but localities whose registrar offices are closed that day must open Friday. Ballots include a U.S. Senate race, congressional contests, three statewide constitutional amendments, and local races and referendums.

Manassas Patch said city residents can vote early at the Voter Registration Office, 9025 Center St., weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with added weekend hours later in October. Stafford is among 47 localities asking voters whether to add a 1% sales tax for school construction. Manassas, Manassas Park and part of Prince William will also fill a House of Delegates seat after Del. Michelle Maldonado’s resignation.

Stafford man pleads guilty to diverting $107,000 in federal travel money

According to Fredericksburg Patch, Kevin D. Mickie, 47, of Stafford pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Alexandria to one count of theft of government property. Prosecutors said he diverted $107,316.82 in Department of War travel reimbursements into two personal bank accounts from November 2019 through January 2024.

Mickie admitted accessing 29 Defense Travel System profiles without permission and swapping in his own bank routing information so later reimbursements landed in his accounts. U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles accepted the plea and released him on personal recognizance. Sentencing is set for Jan. 14, 2027.

BAE Systems’ Manassas plant gets $16 million for space chips

According to a BAE Systems announcement issued Wednesday, the company’s Space Systems group in Manassas received $16 million in Defense Production Act Title III funding to demonstrate and qualify its RH45 radiation-hardened 45-nanometer semiconductor technology. The money comes through the Department of War’s Warfighting Investments, Resourcing and Execution directorate.

BAE said the award will rebuild its RH45 ASIC storefront used by space customers for more than a decade and keep design, packaging and test work at the Manassas trusted-source campus. The chips are meant for missiles, satellites and other systems that have to survive radiation that would wreck ordinary processors.

Kitchen fire shuts two Old Town Manassas restaurants Thursday

According to InsideNoVa, firefighters were called about 9:30 a.m. Thursday to the 9400 block of West Street in Old Town Manassas for a kitchen fire at CJ Finz Raw Bar & Grille, 9413 West St. Crews closed Center Street from Grant Avenue to Main Street and West Street from Prince William Street to Church Street while they worked.

The fire was declared out shortly after 10 a.m., and nearby streets reopened about 30 minutes later. CJ Finz planned to stay closed Thursday and reopen Friday. Foster’s Grille, two doors down, was also closed at midday Thursday. Officials had not announced a cause.

Occoquan Road closed overnight Friday through early Monday

According to Potomac Local News, Occoquan Road (Route 906) between Horner Road and Old Bridge Road is scheduled to close to through traffic from 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18, until 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 21. The closure is a weekend construction window that will force Woodbridge-area drivers onto detours.

Local traffic to homes and businesses along the segment is typically maintained where crews can do so safely, but through trips should use posted alternate routes. Drivers heading between Lake Ridge, Occoquan and Old Bridge should build extra time into Friday night and weekend plans.

UMW to name turf stadium press box for longtime athletics leader

According to the University of Mary Washington, the Fredericksburg campus will dedicate the turf stadium press box on Saturday, Sept. 19, in honor of a longtime athletics administrator. The university sent the notice to local newsrooms this week as part of a weekend athletics program.

The dedication is scheduled around home events at the turf stadium. UMW said the naming recognizes years of work building the school’s athletics program and game-day operations. Fans attending Saturday’s contests should arrive early if they plan to watch the brief ceremony.

Dominion to hook Possum Point homes to public water at no charge

According to the Prince William Times, about 40 homes along Cherry Hill Road near Dominion Energy’s Possum Point Power Station will start receiving public water connections at no cost to residents. The work follows a years-long effort to get houses near the plant off private wells.

Dominion is covering the hookups after prolonged talks with the neighborhood. Construction timing will vary by address; the Times reported residents had pressed for public water because of proximity to the generating station and aging private systems.

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