PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. — The top cop in the Prince William County Department’s Criminal Investigations Division will be promoted to serve underneath Cheif of Police Col. Barry Barnard.
Maj. Steven J. Thompson is promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He’s been with the department since 1996 after working in New York City.
STAFFORD, Va. — Teachers and staff at Stafford County Public Schools will gather on Saturday for a costumed 5K walk and run.
From Stafford schools:
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Civics students at Beville Middle School, nearly 360 in all, will get a real sense of our democracy when they head to “voting booths” in their school next Thursday, November 3. The eighth-graders are studying a unit on the Executive Branch, including the Electoral College, political parties, the role of media in elections, and citizenship in a democracy. The League of Women Voters is helping to run the mock election. Students will vote using paper ballots which will resemble the actual Virginia ballot.
From Prince William police:
Sexual Assault Investigation – On October 25, detectives from the Special Victim’s Unit began an investigation into a sexual assault which was reported to have occurred at a home in Manassas (20111). The investigation revealed that the victim, a 9-year-old girl, was sexually assaulted on more than one occasion over the last two years by a family member. The incidents were recently disclosed and police were contacted. Following the investigation, detectives obtained warrants for the arrest of the accused, identified as Luis Antonio PEREZ. Attempted to locate the accused have been unsuccessful.
From Prince William police:
Felony Hit & Run | Attempted Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer [LEO] – On October 26 at 6:53PM, officers responded to the area of Minnieville Rd and Dale Blvd in Woodbridge (22193) for an initial report of a reckless driver. Multiple callers reported to police that the driver of 1999 Chevrolet Suburban was traveling in the above area in a reckless manner. As a result of the driver’s actions, multiple other occupied vehicles were struck before the vehicle became disabled on Minnieville Rd near Caton Hill Rd. When officers arrived, the driver, identified as the accused, refused to exit the vehicle. After a brief struggle, the accused was eventually removed from the vehicle and detained. During the arrest, the accused attempted to strike one of the officers. Once in custody, the driver was determined to be under the influence of alcohol and suspected PCP. The accused sustained a minor head injury during the incident and was treated at an area hospital. Two drivers of the other vehicles struck was also transported to an area hospital with minor injuries. In total, the accused struck 8 vehicles and impacted traffic in the area for several hours.
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. — A 17-year-old boy was crushed by a lawnmower this morning causing serious injuries.
The boy was mowing grass on a hillside in the 17300 block of Russett Maple Court near Dumfries, in the Four Seasons gated community off Route 234, when the lawnmower he was using overturned and fell on top of him.
A power outage that affected thousands of residents along the Lake Jackson Drive area near Manassas, and drivers on nearby roads who faced dark signal lights at intersections, was blamed on a failed switch.
A padmount switch, a transformer mounted on the ground, failed, Dominion spokeswoman Charles Penn confirmed.. The failure left area residents without power and heat on a night when a frost advisory had been issued and temperatures dipped into the 30s.
From Prince William police:
Sexual Assault Investigation – On October 25, detectives from the Special Victim’s Unit began an investigation into a sexual assault which was reported to have occurred at a home in Manassas (20111). The investigation revealed that the victim, a 9-year-old girl, was sexually assaulted on more than one occasion between September and October of 2016 by a family member. While investigating the incidents, detectives also discovered that the accused showed the victim inappropriate videos. The incidents were recently disclosed after the victim was shown an education video at school regarding appropriate and inappropriate touching. Following the investigation, the accused, identified as Mark Christopher STONE, was arrested.
Arrested on October 25:
Mark Christopher STONE, 28, of Manassas
Charged with 2 counts of rape, 3 counts of forcible sodomy, 2 counts of object sexual penetration and 1 count of displaying inappropriate materials to a child
Court Date: Pending | Bond: Held WITHOUT Bond
From Prince William police:
Attempted Malicious Wounding of a Law Enforcement Officer [LEO] – On October 24 at 5:54PM, officers responded to an apartment located in the 14700 block of Deming Dr in Gainesville (20155) to investigate an initial report of a domestic. When the officers arrived, they made contact with the victim, a 73-year-old man of Gainesville. The victim reported to police that a family member, identified as the accused, pushed him before forcibly taking his car keys and leaving the residence. Officers made contact with the accused sitting in the victim’s vehicle in the parking lot of the apartment complex. One of the officers opened the driver’s side door and asked the accused to exit the vehicle. At that point, the accused put the vehicle in reverse, striking the officer and pinning him between the vehicle door and a sign. The officer was eventually able to move away from the vehicle, at which point, the accused continued to reverse and struck the initial victim. The accused then proceeded to flee and exited the complex parking lot. A responding officer stopped the vehicle in the area of McGraws Corner where the accused was taken into custody after initially refusing to exit the vehicle. While speaking to the accused, officers determined he was under the influence of alcohol. Following the investigation, the accused, identified as Delanyo Kwaku APPIAH, was arrested. The initial victim sustained a minor injury to his leg. The officer sustained minor injuries and was treated at an area hospital.
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Don’t let the name fool you—Day of the Dead is not a morbid holiday, explains Miguel Pires, owner of Zandra’s Taqueria in Old Town Manassas. Rather, the holiday is a festive celebration honoring loved ones that are no longer with us. Family and friends come together for feasts, dancing and to make offerings to the deceased, such as sugar skulls and service in the form of cleaning and decorating grave sites. Pires says that it is in this celebratory spirit that he invites the community to gather at his taqueria and bar for a Day of the Dead charity event.
