Prince Willian County Police Department: It is time for the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics, and the Police Department would love to have the public cheer on the runners.
The Torch that symbolizes the beginning of the Special Olympics Games in Richmond, is lit in Arlington and is carried by police officers and Special Olympians to Richmond on June 7, 2024.
This year, runners and supporters will gather at the Charlie T. Deane Central District Station, 5036 Davis Ford Road, Woodbridge on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. The runners will be transported at 9 a.m. from the Police Association Hall, 14288 Independent Hill Drive, Manassas to the Central District Station.
Runners will begin here and follow the route from Davis Ford Road to Hoadly Road, then to Dumfries Road (Route 234) to Independent Hill Drive and down the driveway to the Police Association Hall.
Any Special Athletes who choose to run will start at the driveway and run to the Association Hall building to complete the race. The route is 6 miles.
For more information on joining Team Prince William visit: https://impact.specialolympicsva.org/team/569457.
The Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk’s Historical Online Portal (HOP) now includes marriage licenses from the Civil War era to the early 1900s, making historical documents more accessible for research. Funded by a technology grant, this initiative provides genealogists, academics, and residents worldwide with access to pre-20th century court records at no cost to taxpayers.
Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk: The Prince William County Circuit Court Clerk’s Historical Online Portal (HOP) now contains marriage licenses recorded from Civil War times to the early 1900’s. This is part of the Clerk’s ongoing initiative to make historical papers more easily accessible for research. The HOP, which launched in early 2023, also offers access to Deeds, Wills and Lists of Heirs.
The historical information from the HOP can provide valuable insight for implementing historic preservation and connecting people. Genealogists, academics, lawyers, historians, researchers, and residents can access court records pre-dating the twentieth (20th) century worldwide by using the Historical Online Portal (HOP).
The historical information is viable for locating relatives, properties and ownership, as well as artifacts of evidence. Funded by a technology grant obtained by Circuit Court Clerk Jacqueline Smith, the Historical Online Portal places no costs on taxpayers. Clerk Smith plans to add more historical topics to the HOP in the coming months.
For a tutorial, please subscribe to the Circuit Court Clerk Office’s YouTube page by clicking this link: Prince William County Clerk of Circuit Court – YouTube.
For more information or to access the Historical Online Portal, please visit pwcva.gov/department/circuit-court/research.
A Woodbridge man, Russel Guye Dadzie, was convicted on May 24 for falsely impersonating a federal officer. Despite being a security guard with limited authority, Dadzie repeatedly misrepresented himself as a federal officer to local police, using federal identification cards, and now faces up to three years in prison.
From the U.S. Department of Justice:Â
A federal jury convicted a Woodbridge man on May 24 on charges of false impersonation of an officer or employee of the United States.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Russel Guye Dadzie, 50, was a third-party contractor security guard for federal buildings since at least 2013. Dadzie received training that his authority was limited to the immediate area of the building he was assigned to guard and only during his assigned shift.
That training also explains that he is not a federal employee, federal agent, or federal officer, that he should not identify himself as such in any context, and that engaging in this type of misrepresentation could result in criminal charges.
Dadzie received this training on multiple occasions, including in January 2023. Access to the buildings to which Dadzie was assigned required Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards. Dadzie signed agreements with both the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that he would not use the PIV cards for non-employment-related purposes, that he would not display them to others outside of work, and that he would not use them to coerce, intimidate, deceive, or obtain any privilege, favor, preferential treatment, reward, or personal gain. He signed agreements acknowledging that noncompliance with these requirements might subject him to criminal penalties.
On Sept. 15, 2023, officers with the Prince William County Police Department (PWCPD) approached Dadzie’s vehicle in Woodbridge. Dadzie stated multiple times that he was “with DHS” and that he was a “DHS officer” and a “federal officer.” In lieu of a driver license, Dadzie presented officers with a DHS PIV card to bolster his claims that he was a federal officer. When asked about his vehicle, he challenged police, “You’re asking a federal officer if there’s anything illegal in his vehicle?”
On Nov. 9, 2023, a PWCPD officer encountered Dadzie, noting that the inspection sticker on the windshield of Dadzie’s vehicle was expired. When the officer requested to see Dadzie’s driver license, Dadzie instead showed the officer multiple federal PIV cards he possessed, handed the officer a USAID PIV card, and claimed to be a “federal officer” with USAID.
Dadzie faces a maximum penalty of three years in prison when sentenced on Sept. 12. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Jessica D. Aber, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Derek W. Gordon, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Peter Newsham, Chief of Prince William County Police, made the announcement after U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles accepted the verdict.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Lipkowitz are prosecuting the case.
- Between Exit 118 (Thornburg) and Exit 126 (Spotsylvania) at mile marker 119 bridge over the Po River and mile marker 121 bridge over the Ni River.
- Exit 126 (Spotsylvania) bridge over Route 1 overpass.
- Between Exit 130 (Route 3) and Exit 133 (Falmouth/Warrenton) at mile marker 132 bridge over the Rappahannock River.
- Exit 140 (Courthouse Road) bridges over Route 630.
- Between Exit 143 (Aquia/Garrisonville) and Exit 148 (Quantico) at mile marker 145 bridge over Aquia Creek.
- Exit 104 (Carmel Church): Saturday - Sunday, 9 p.m. - 5 a.m. Static lane closures at mile markers 104-103 for bridge inspection at CSX railroad crossing.
I-95 Northbound: Exit 133 (Falmouth/Warrenton) to Exit 136 (Centreport Parkway): Tuesday - Friday, 9 p.m. - 4:30 a.m. and Friday - Saturday, 10 p.m. - 5 a.m. Single lane closure starting at 9 p.m. followed by double lane closure at 10 p.m. on I-95 northbound at mile markers 133-135 for 95 Express Lanes Fredericksburg Extension work.
- Exit 143 (Aquia/Garrisonville) to Exit 148 (Quantico): Tuesday - Friday, 9 p.m. - 4:30 a.m. and Friday - Saturday, 10 p.m. - 5 a.m. Single lane closure at 9 p.m. followed by double lane closure at 10 p.m. on I-95 northbound at mile markers 146-148 for 95 Express Lanes Fredericksburg Extension work.
I-95 Southbound: Exit 148 (Quantico) to Exit 143 (Aquia/Garrisonville)
Tuesday - Friday, 9 p.m. - 4:30 a.m. and Friday - Saturday, 10 p.m. - 5 a.m. Single lane closure at 9 p.m. followed by double lane closure at 10 p.m. on I-95 northbound at mile markers 148-146 for 95 Express Lanes Fredericksburg Extension work. Double lane closure is permitted until 4:30 a.m. Single lane closure continues from 4:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Tuesday - Thursday.
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Stafford County Public Schools:Â Stafford County Public Schools proudly bids farewell to 80 esteemed educators and service staff members who are retiring after 1,535 collective years of dedicated service with Stafford Schools at the annual Retirement Dinner on Monday, May 20, 2024.
These individuals have been pillars of our community, shaping the minds and hearts of countless students over the years. Their commitment to excellence, passion for teaching, and unwavering dedication to their craft have left an indelible mark on our school district.
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Stafford County's third Panera restaurant will open at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, May 29. The first 50 guests will receive a year's free "You Pick Two" meals.
"You Pick Two" meals will allow rewarded guests to select any combination of two half-size entrees from the Panera Bread menu.
The new restaurant will be at 940 Wonder Road, in the Embrey Mill Town Center in Stafford. Even if you don't make the first 50, all guests who visit on opening day between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. will have a chance to spin a prize wheel to win free tumblers, car coasters, cookies, bagels, and more.
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Allie Medina, a junior at Colonial Forge High School, has been selected to represent Stafford as a National Youth Correspondent to the 2024 Washington Journalism and Media Conference at George Mason University.
“I was so excited and really surprised,” said Medina. “I love journalism, so I’m excited to get the chance to make connections and improve my writing.”
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Prince William County Schools: The National Merit® Scholarship Corporation named Skye Auger, a senior at Osbourn Park High School, a 2024 National Merit Scholarship winner. Auger was selected from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding finalists and is one of 2,500 students nationwide to win the National Merit $2,500 scholarship.
"Winning this scholarship is the culmination of all the effort I’ve put into my academic life, and I’m really glad my hard work has paid off in this way. To all the underclassmen who are apprehensive about their futures, I’d just like to say that a strong work ethic always comes back to reward you, so keep trying at every opportunity that comes your way because you might be surprised by what you’re capable of. I also attribute this success to the great educational opportunities I’ve had in this county with teachers who have truly pushed me and given me an environment that I can develop in," said Auger.
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Memorial Day Events
Prince William County: On Friday, May 24, members of the community are invited to join the Board of County Supervisors and others in a commemoration to honor and remember those who served in our nation’s armed services. The ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. at the Sean T. Connaughton Community Plaza, located at the Prince William County Government Center, 1 County Complex Court, Woodbridge.
The ceremony will include the Presentation of Colors, brief remarks by Board of County Supervisors Chair At-Large Deshundra Jefferson, Prince William County Veterans Commission Chair Dr. Vanessa Gattis, County Executive Chris Shorter, as well as the presentation of a wreath by members of the Veterans Commission and a performance by the Marsteller Middle School 8th Grade Bass Select Choir. The ceremony will conclude with the playing of taps.
All are welcome to attend.
Potomac Region Veterans Council: As it has done for the last five decades, the Potomac Region Veterans Council (PRVC) will host the annual Memorial Day Ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 27, 2024. The event will feature remarks by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and will be hosted by the PRVC in partnership with Marine Corps Base Quantico and the National Memorial Cemetery at Quantico.
Originating in the years following the Civil War and becoming an official federal holiday in 1971, Memorial Day honors the memory of those Americans who have given their last full measure of devotion in uniform in the service of their country. As in years past, military and veteran officials will join with members of the general public in this annual observance.
The ceremony will begin promptly at 11 a.m. and conclude by noon. The Potomac Region Veterans Council extends a warm invitation for all to attend.
Transportation Notes
OmniRide: In observance of Memorial Day OmniRide will operate the following service on Monday, May 27:
- Express, Metro Express, and Local North-B (65B) – NO SERVICE
- Prince William Metro Express, and East-West Express – WILL RUN ON SATURDAY/WEEKEND SERVICE SCHEDULE
- Local – WILL RUN ON SATURDAY/WEEKEND SERVICE SCHEDULE
Regular service will resume Tuesday, May 28.
Transurban: I-95 Express Lanes Summer reversal schedule will begin on Thursday, May 23, 2024. Daytime reversal will begin at 10 a.m.; overnight reversal will begin at midnight.
- For the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 27, 2024, the 95 Express Lanes will operate on a weekend schedule, with no reversal and the facility remaining open northbound.
- Regular summer reversal schedule (outlined above) will resume on Tuesday, May 28, 2024.
Government Closings
Stafford County: Stafford offices, departments, facilities, and all courts will be closed for the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 27, 2024. Both locations of the R-Board/Regional Landfill (Eskimo Hill and Belman Road) will be closed.
The following offices and facilities will remain open:
- Fire and Rescue Information (540) 658-7200
- Emergency 911
- Sheriff’s Office Information (540) 658-4400
- Emergency 911
- Magistrate (540) 659-2968
- All outdoor parks are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m
