A Prince William County judge dropped a rape charge against a man accused of raping a 10-year-old girl in Dale City.
Prince William County Circuit Court Judge Carroll A. Weimer Jr. dropped the charge on March 6. The suspect, 40-year-old Bernabe Garcia of Woodbridge, was set to appear for a jury trial on the rape charge from March 18 to 21, 2024.
Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth said she had no comment on the case and emailed:
“I do not comment on cases involving juveniles alleged to have been sexually abused as I believe their privacy should be respected. Speaking generally and not specifically about any case, I will tell you that we never “drop” charges – that is not a legal term used when speaking about criminal charges. The Commonwealth may elect to nolle prose or “not prosecute” the charges at this time. This does not prevent charges from being brought back at a later date. The decision to nolle prose a case can be made by a prosecutor for a variety of reasons, such as the unavailability of key witnesses to appear at trial, the need for additional evidence or investigation by the police, the discovery of evidence inconsistent with the original charges, the need for further testing of evidence at the forensics lab, the inability of witnesses to testify, the desire of a victim to not move forward with prosecution, etc. I can assure you that the decision to nolle prose a case is not made lightly and is done in consultation with the victim and the police.”
It’s the second time Ashworth has declined to comment in as many months. Last month, Ashworth refused to comment on The arrest of Jose Rafael Lizama, a 47-year-old resident of Manassas Park, charged in the death of Justin Burns, who was struck and killed while walking near the Old Town Sports Pub in Downtown Manassas on December 2, 2023.
Police arrested Lizama immediately following the crash on December 2, 2023, when he was arrested for driving while intoxicated. Astonishingly, he was released the next day on a personal recognizance.
Police arrested Lizama a second time on February 2, 2024, when Lizama, this time facing charges of involuntary manslaughter in connection to Burns’ death. However, Lizama was released on February 5, 2024, upon posting a $5,000 secured bond.
For the rape case, police charged Garcia On February 16, 2023, when detectives with the Prince William County Police Special Victims Bureau concluded an investigation into a sexual assault that was reported to have occurred at a home in Dale City on January 16 and February 12, 2023. The investigation revealed the female victim, who was under the age of 10 at the time of the offenses, was sexually assaulted by the accused on more than one occasion, police said.
Police said Garcia knew his victim. The victim reported the incident to a family member, who contacted the police, prompting the investigation.
Police in Stafford and Fairfax counties say they arrested a suspect in the slayings of 18-year-old Amy Baker and 4032-year-old Jaqueline Lord in 1989 and 1986, respectively.
Stafford County Sheriff’s Major Shawn Kimmitz credits the excellent work of detectives from both agencies, who used DNA evidence to identify a suspect.
On November 14, 1986, Lord, was working at Mount Vernon Realty in the 300 block of Garrisonville Road. She was last seen that evening at 9 p.m. as the business closed. Lord never made it home.
The next morning, employees of other businesses in the area prepared to open for the day and discovered a crime scene at the realty office, which indicated a struggle. Lord and her vehicle were both missing. Stafford County detectives, assisted by the Virginia State Police Crime Scene Unit and the FBI processed the scene and collected blood and other evidence.
The following day, two teenagers played in a wooded area off Route 1 at Railroad Avenue in Woodbridge, about 20 miles north of the realty office. They discovered a body beneath a pile of discarded carpet. Stafford detectives joined Prince William detectives and the FBI to process the scene and identified the deceased as Lord.
Lord’s missing vehicle was located abandoned in Fairfax County on December 18, 1986, leading to the recovery of additional evidence. Over the years, detectives from multiple federal and state agencies followed up on countless leads and conducted interviews, eliminating numerous suspects and persons of interest.
The FBI created a task force combining the efforts of the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, Prince William County Police Department, the FBI, and the DEA. DNA was extracted from the evidence, but repeated searches of the Virginia and National DNA Databanks via CODIS, in addition to direct comparisons against submitted persons of interest and familial searches, failed to identify the killer. The leads were exhausted, and the investigation was moved to cold case status.
At the order of Stafford County Sheriff David Decatur, D.K. Wood explored a new technology, forensic investigative genetic genealogy, to help identify the killer.
Wood worked with Parabon NanoLabs, a company providing DNA phenotyping. The analysis of the DNA linked the Lord’s murder to the unsolved 1989 murder of Amy Baker in Fairfax County. A Stafford resident, Baker, ran out of gas while traveling on Interstate 95 and pulled off the highway at Backlick Road in Fairfax County.
Baker met her killer while walking toward a gas station. She was raped, assaulted, and left for dead in the woods.
On December 14, 2023, identified their suspect. Detectives followed up on the leads this technology created and ultimately obtained a search warrant for DNA from Stafford County residents. In February, the Department of Forensic Science reported that the DNA matched.
On March 4, Elroy Harrison, 65, was indicted by a Stafford County Grand Jury for first-degree murder, abduction with the intent to defile, aggravated malicious wounding of Lord, as well as breaking with the intent to commit murder.
He was arrested at his Stafford County home on March 5 and placed in the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond. Cold Case detectives from the Fairfax County Police Department are working alongside the Fairfax County Office of the Commonwealth Attorney to seek charges against Harrison for the murder of Baker’s murder.
More as we have it.
Prince William police: Officers responded to investigate a dog found at C. Lacey Compton Neighborhood Park located at 17301 River Ridge Blvd. in Woodbridge (22191) at 10:30 am on March 2.
The investigation revealed an extremely emaciated dog was left at the park by an unknown man who then drove away in a newer model white Range Rover. A Good Samaritan took the dog to the PWC Animal Services Center, where the dog, identified as a male mixed-breed Hound dog between 6 and 12 months old, received medical care and is resting comfortably now.
PWC Animal Services is seeking assistance from the public on identifying the dog and information about the events leading up to the dog being left on the morning of March 2. Anyone with information please contact Prince William County Police on their tipline 703-792-7000.
Suspect Description: A black male with a heavy build, last seen wearing a black leather jacket with an unknown motorcycle club emblem.
Updated: A quiet morning on Musselman Road in Stafford County was disrupted today when a man broke into a home just before 7 a.m. The incident has prompted a significant police presence in the area, with authorities deploying various resources including drones and K9 units to track down the suspect.
They eventually found and arrested a man in the Rappahannock Landing neighborhood. Sheriff’s Major Shawn Kimmitz said deputies took the man to the county magistrate and that the department is seeking multiple charges for the man.
The man’s name was not released.
According to reports, the man entered a residence on Musselman Road only to be confronted by the homeowner. Frightened by the encounter, the intruder quickly fled the scene on foot. Shortly after, he attempted to break into a car parked nearby, still armed with a chainsaw and a hammer.
Eyewitnesses say the suspect dropped the chainsaw during his escape, but it remains unclear if he still possesses the hammer. As law enforcement continues their search, a drone has been deployed to hover over the Olde Forge neighborhood while K9 units are on the ground tracking the suspect’s scent.
To ensure the safety of residents, particularly students waiting for school buses, authorities are closely monitoring bus stops in the area.
The suspect is described as a heavyset white male in his 30s or 40s, heavyset, wearing a brown trench coat and a flannel shirt. Residents are advised to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity by dialing 911.
ARSON
Rodney Thompson Middle School, 75 Walpole Street, 2/29, 1:30 p.m.
Fire Marshal D.M. Pappas responded to an arson call at Rodney Thompson Middle School. Staff reported camera footage from 2/27 showing a student igniting personal items. The student was found with the lighter and faces criminal charges.
FORGERY
Sheetz, 10 Washington Square Plaza, 2/29, 5:59 p.m.
Deputy I.E. Baldi investigated a forgery report at Sheetz, where staff had a counterfeit bill used for gas payment by a male suspect.
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Authorities have apprehended the suspect linked to a reported sexual assault in Dale City. Identified as Alexander Maximiliano Soto Hernandez, 42, of Dale City, the individual was taken into custody on February 27 in North Plainfield Borough, New Jersey.
Soto Hernandez faces charges including two counts of aggravated sexual battery, one count of forcible sodomy, and one count of abduction with intent to defile. His court date is pending, and he remains incarcerated.
The incident, which occurred on February 26 at 7:50 a.m., prompted law enforcement response to a residence in Dale City. A female victim, awakened by the accused wielding a knife in her room, endured a sexual assault.
Managing to escape, she sought refuge with a neighbor who promptly notified authorities. The suspect fled the scene in a Dodge Caravan, originally silver but later painted black aftermarket, bearing New Jersey license plates.
Further investigation revealed that the accused had been renting the basement of the same residence as the victim.
Prince William police reported the following incidents”
Strong-Arm Robbery
On February 20 at 10:46AM, officers responded to the 13600 block of Foulger Sq in Woodbridge (22192) to investigate an assault. The investigation revealed the victim, a 20-year-old woman, and an acquaintance, identified as the accused, were involved in a verbal altercation that escalated. During the encounter, the accused forcibly grabbed the victim’s cell phone and car keys from her possession. The parties eventually separated, and the victim contacted police. Following the investigation, officers obtained arrest warrants for the accused, identified as Michael IPANAQUE CORONADO, who was arrested the next day.
Arrested on February 21: Michael IPANAQUE CORONADO, 22, of 4200 Potomac Highlands Cir in Triangle. Charges: Robbery and assault & battery. Court Date: Pending. Bond: Unavailable
Reckless Handling of a Firearm
Incident: On February 23 at 12:33 AM, officers responded to the 12300 block of Old Delaney Road in Lake Ridge to investigate a shots fired call. The investigation revealed multiple callers reported hearing several gunshots in the area. Officers patrolling different areas of Dale City also reported hearing the gunfire. No exact location or evidence of a shooting could be located, and no injuries or property damage were reported.
On February 22, at 1:47 a.m., Deputy P.J. Leon of the Stafford County Sheriff's Office was engaged in speed enforcement duties along Garrisonville Road. During his patrol, Deputy Leon observed a pickup truck exceeding the speed limit, traveling at 55 mph in a 35 mph zone. Promptly, Deputy Leon initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle, pulling it over in a Wells Fargo bank parking lot at 131 Garrisonville Road.
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On February 23, 2024, the silence in the 9200 block of Bayberry Avenue in Manassas was shattered by the sound of gunfire as police responded to a shots fired call at 6:52 p.m.
What began as a routine response quickly escalated into a tense standoff as officers encountered multiple rounds being discharged from within a residence.
According to reports from the Manassas City Police Department, officers rushed to the scene upon receiving the initial call, only to find themselves under fire upon arrival. The officers, in turn, returned fire as they attempted to gain entry into the besieged residence.
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Maryland Man Wanted for Felonies Leads Authorities on Pursuit Through Stafford County
A Maryland man wanted for numerous felonies engaged in a pursuit with both Stafford County deputies and Virginia State Police, adding to his list of charges.
