"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth District has dismissed an appeal by a right-wing advocacy group ordered to stop distributing false, threatening, and misleading mailers prior to November's election, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced Friday," Insidenova.com reports.
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The Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk: "Circuit Court Clerk Jacqueline Smith is planning civil celebrant weddings and vow renewals for her 6th Annual Valentine's Day Bash. Couples can exchange vows in an intimate ceremony surrounded by friends and family on February 14, 2024, at the Art Factory, a contemporary art hub located in the refurbished historic Hopkins Candy Factory building in downtown Manassas, Virginia."
"Every year, Clerk Smith hosts a Valentine's Day Bash to provide couples with special civil celebrant ceremonies. The Bash is intended to be a full day of elegant courthouse-style weddings and vow renewals. Clerk Smith's annual Valentine's Day Bash brings together couples and the community to celebrate love."
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Prince William County Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney: “Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth announces the successful prosecution of Jacob Belotti arising from the February 2018 death of Dustin Lueker in Haymarket, Virginia. Mr. Belotti pled not guilty to three charges and after a three-day jury trial, was convicted of Felony Murder and Distribution of a Schedule I/II Controlled Substance.”
“On the afternoon of Sunday, February 25, 2018, Prince William County Fire and Rescue and Police responded to Youngs Drive in Haymarket for a 911 call regarding an unresponsive individual. Dustin Lueker was found dead on the living room floor of Mr. Belotti’s residence. Mr. Belotti claimed the two had consumed alcohol and gone to bed the day before and that when he awoke, his friend was dead. One eyewitness later came forward to challenge Mr. Belotti’s version of events and eventually police determined that multiple individuals had partied with Belotti and Lueker, initially at Mr. Lueker’s apartment and then at Mr. Belotti’s house.”
“The Supreme Court of Virginia on Thursday reversed a lower court’s decision by reinstating a lawsuit brought by a former West Point High School teacher after he was fired for refusing to refer to a transgender student by his requested pronouns,” reports the Virginia Mercury.
“A Prince William County, Virginia, program that aims to make court services more accessible is returning to the region early next year,” WTOP-FM reports.
On Dec. 5, 2023, the circuit court posted that the graduates accepted challenge tokens and certificates for making significant behavioral changes.
Created in 2017, the court's veteran's docket began diverting cases involving veterans from the standard judicial docket.
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Prince William Times: “A former Prince William County elections chief is no longer facing felony charges related to alleged corruption and lying in connection with her duties during the 2020 election, according a court filing.”
“Former Prince William County general registrar Michele White, 52, still faces one misdemeanor count of neglect of duty by an election officer, the only charge that remains from her September 2022 grand jury indictment, according to court records.”
Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth: “The commonwealth attorney’s office announces the successful prosecution of Gentil Mwenze Banze arising from the June 18, 2022, accident that killed a Lake Ridge man and his dog. On July 6, 2023, Gentil Mwenze Banze pled guilty to Involuntary Manslaughter while Driving Under the Influence. The case was heard by Judge James A. Willett of the Prince William County Circuit Court.”
“On November 16, 2023, Mr. Banze was sentenced by Judge Willett to 10 years in prison, the maximum term allowable under the law, and three years of active probation following his release from prison. The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Sarah Sami.”
Commonwealth v. Gentil Mwenze Banze: “In the early evening hours of June 18, 2022, the Defendant, Gentil Mwenze Banze, was driving his motor vehicle westbound on Old Bridge Road. Witnesses described the Defendant’s vehicle as swerving in and out of his lane of travel, almost striking other vehicles, before veering to the right and leaving the roadway. The Defendant’s vehicle entered the sidewalk and struck a pedestrian, Mr. Luis Alfredo Perez, Jr., who had been out walking the family dog that evening. After the Defendant struck Mr. Perez, Jr. and his dog, he crashed into the utility pole located in the area of Cape Cod Ct, bringing down live power lines causing an audible and visible explosion on Old Bridge Rd.”
“Investigator Chad Mason of the Prince William County Crash Investigation Unit noted that the Defendant had an odor of alcoholic beverage coming from his person, had a slight sway to his body as he was standing, had bloodshot and watery eyes, and exhibited signs of impairment in all three standardized field sobriety tests that he attempted. The Defendant later admitted to drinking Guinness Beer prior to driving and testing later confirmed the Defendant’s blood alcohol content to be 0.11g/210L of breath approximately three hours after the crash had occurred. Unfortunately, both Mr. Perez Jr. and his dog succumbed to the injuries they sustained as a result of the crash.”
“The Office of the Commonwealth Attorney would like to commend and thank the Prince William County Crash Investigation Unit, particularly Investigator Chad Mason for their investigation of the case, and Arturo Guzman, Case Manager for the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney Victim/Witness program for the assistance provided to the victim’s family.”
Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk: “The Historical Online Portal (HOP) of the Circuit Court Clerk now includes historical deeds recorded before the American Revolution to the early 1900s. Among the deeds available for online inquiry is the Stolen Deed Book-Liber A (Stolen Historical Records Returned to the Prince William County Circuit Court (pwcva.gov).”
“Launched in early 2023, the HOP currently offers access to Deeds, Wills, and Lists of Heirs.”
The Office of the Prince William County Commonwealth’s Attorney: “On October 16, 2023, the Honorable Judge Kimberly A. Irving, Chief Judge of the Prince William County Circuit Court, found Desmond Daniel guilty of two counts of first-degree murder following his guilty plea to the charges. The Defendant will be sentenced on March 14, 2024. Members of the victims’ families will present victim impact testimony at that time. The Defendant faces a maximum sentence of two life terms in prison.”
“On November 16, 2022, Prince William County Police responded to Isle Royale Terrace, in [near Dumfries] after neighbors reported hearing multiple gunshots. Police arrived at the scene to find two gunshot victims in the basement of the home. One victim, a 22-year-old Woodbridge woman, was pronounced dead at the scene. The other, a 24-year-old Woodbridge man, was taken to an area hospital where he was later pronounced dead. A family dog was also located in the basement suffering from gunshot wounds and had to be euthanized.
“Through Ring camera footage recovered at the scene, it was determined that Desmond Daniel had shot through the basement window, entered through the window, shot in the direction of the victims, and left through the same window. The investigation revealed that Mr. Daniel was involved in a romantic relationship with the 22-year-old woman, who had broken up with him a few days earlier. The 24-year-old man that was killed was her friend. Investigation also revealed several posts on social media by Mr. Daniel displaying his firearms and making threats several hours before the shooting. Investigators, in partnership with Virginia State Police, were able to locate Mr. Daniel near Dulles International Airport following Mr. Daniel’s purchase of a one-way ticket to Panama.”
“Commonwealth’s Attorney Amy Ashworth offered the following comment: “This case was such a horrible tragedy. Our community lost two young adults to senseless gun violence. We are grateful for the hard work done by the police who worked quickly to apprehend Mr. Daniel before he left the country. Excellent police work allowed us to resolve this case without putting the victims’ families through a trial. Mr. Daniel accepted responsibility for his actions by entering guilty pleas to two first-degree murder charges. He will face the consequences of his actions on March 14, 2024, at the sentencing hearing.”
“The Office of the Commonwealth Attorney would like to commend and thank the Prince William County Police Department, particularly Detectives Matthew Andersen and Shailee Davis, for their investigation and work that successfully resulted in convictions in this case. In addition, the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney would like to thank Christy Reynolds, Case Manager for the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney Victim/Witness Program, for the assistance that she provided to the victim’s family. This case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Kathleen Bilton.”
