A Prince William County resident, Bethany Selvage, has her car back nearly two months after an unlicensed tow operator stole it, according to police. On January 2, 2025, Manassas City Police located Selvage’s 2018 Nissan Sentra.
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Manassas Park Resident Jose Rafael Lizama pled guilty Friday, January 3, 2024, to felony Involuntary Manslaughter stemming from a December 2, 2023 crash where Lizama admitted to striking and killing pedestrian Justin Burns, 39, of Blackstone, Va.
Lizama appeared with an interpreter, and his lawyer stood before Judge Angela Horan and took responsibility for the 11 p.m. crash in front of Old Towne Sports Pub in Manassas.
During Lizama’s preliminary hearing in May 2024, Prosecutors presented evidence, including a nearby homeowner’s security camera footage that caught Lizama’s van traveling at a high rate of speed, striking Burns as he crossed the street in an unlit area of Center Street.
Manassas police crash investigators testified Lizama was traveling nearly double the posted 25 mph speed limit and said the foggy weather was a factor in the crash. Police also testified that Lizama was determined to be under the influence of alcohol by more than twice the legal limit of .08.
The plea agreement between prosecutors and the Lizama recommends a five year prison term, however the court does not have to honor that agreement and can impose up to ten years in prison based on Virginia law. Judge Moran went into detail to ensure Lizama understood that the agreement’s recommendations did not bind her. Lizama has a history of alcohol and driving-related convictions, which will likely play into Horan’s sentencing decision.
Kim Burns, the mother of the victim, who has attended all of Lizama’s court hearings, told Potomac Local News that she’s “glad he took responsibility and glad that [Burns’] friends and family don’t have to go through a trial,” she added “but it doesn’t bring my son back.”
Horan revoked Lizama’s bond, and he was taken into custody. He is scheduled to appear before Horan for sentencing on April 3, 2025.
Lizama has a history of alcohol and speed legal issues, including a 2021 charge of drinking in public in Westmoreland County, where he paid a fine and court cost, as well as a dismissed speeding charge where he was accused of exceeding the speed limit by over 20 mph in Prince William County in 2018.
Burns, a Manassas native, was visiting friends on the night he was struck and killed. Lizama was twice taken to jail and later released following the incident after the Prince William County court refused to keep him behind bars.
DOGE, a proposed federal agency designed to streamline government operations under incoming President-Elect Donald Trump, aims to enhance transparency and reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies. Specific focus areas include modernizing outdated IT systems, consolidating overlapping agency functions, and introducing advanced data analytics to improve decision-making processes.
Its primary focus is on evaluating and modernizing processes across federal departments to improve service delivery, optimize resource allocation, and eliminate redundancy. Specific targets include outdated systems and overlapping roles within federal agencies.
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The U.S. Department of Commerce has committed up to $275 million to support Micron Technology’s expansion of its semiconductor facility in Manassas. The move aims to strengthen domestic manufacturing and secure critical supply chains. The funding comes as part of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Incentives Program, which seeks to revitalize American leadership in chip production.
Micron’s plans call for a $2 billion investment over several years to enhance its production capabilities with 1-alpha technology, a sophisticated process for creating DRAM memory chips used in sectors like automotive and industrial manufacturing. At its peak, the project is expected to create over 400 direct jobs and as many as 2,700 related positions.
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Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) marked the grand opening of Prince William County’s second Red Cross Blood Donation Center with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, December 9, 2024. The new facility, located at 4375 Dale Blvd in Dale City, Center Plaza, expands local blood and platelet donation options, previously limited to driving to Fairfax or participating in mobile drives.
This new facility joins the Manassas-area donation center, which opened in September at 10360 Portsmouth Road, in offering donors the choice of whole blood or platelet donations.
The availability of platelet donations at both centers is particularly significant. Platelets, essential for blood clotting, are critical for cancer patients whose treatments often inhibit their body’s ability to produce them. Without donated platelets, minor injuries could lead to life-threatening complications. “25% of the nation’s blood supply goes to cancer patients,” said Dale Kunce, CEO of the Red Cross of the National Capital and Greater Chesapeake Region.
Having a dedicated platelet collection machine eliminates separate off-site processing allowing officials to regulate the nation’s blood supply better. “By processing platelets on site, means it can get to the patient that needs it faster,” said Bethany Patterson, the local Red Cross Communications Director.
Platelet donors can donate weekly, unlike whole blood donations, which require a 56-day recovery period. This frequent donation option helps address the need for platelets, which have a much shorter shelf life than whole blood.
According to Kunce, the American Red Cross supplies roughly 40% of the nation’s blood supply and delivers blood to 60 regional medical facilities in the Northern Virginia area. In July 2024, the Red Cross sent out an emergency request for blood donations after there was a 25% drop in donations attributed to drive cancellations caused by the summer heat wave. New facilities like these allow donation drives to happen regardless of the weather which regularly affect mobile donation sites.
Local leaders joined Governor Youngkin in celebrating the facility’s opening. Neabsco District Supervisor Victor Angry expressed enthusiasm about the new center, emphasizing its role in revitalizing the older shopping center in Dale City.
“I’m very excited to see this on the east end of the county because now both east and west Prince William County have local donation centers and no longer have to drive an hour to Fairfax just to donate blood,” Angry said. He also committed to donating platelets next week at the new center.
Delegate Brianna Sewell (D- VA 22) attended the grand opening event.
Youngkin, who celebrated his 57th birthday by giving blood at the center in Dale City, and he encourages Virginians to donate, especially during the holiday season, “[This season provides us with] a moment to reflect on the many blessings that we all have, and those that are in need, and so this is also an opportunity for us to not only recognize the amazing work that the Red Cross does, but the fact that we need donors, and this is our chance to encourage people, please come donate.”
Virginians wishing to donate can visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS.
In front of Prince William Circuit Court Judge Kimberly A. Irving on December 4, 2024, prosecutors read the additional charges of First Degree Murder and Defiling a Dead Body to the defendant Naresh Bhatt.
He was indicted on First Degree Murder and Physically Defiling charges in the disappearance of his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, in August.
In a joint motion, prosecutors and Prince William County Senior Assistant Public Defender Shalev Ben-Avraham requested a continuance to stack the charges into a single trial. The defendant waived his constitutional right to a speedy trial to allow Ben-Avraham to mount a defense.
Ben-Avraham previously made motions to have the original charge go through court before any other charges could be added, a strategy that ultimately did not work out. Bhatt could be seen shaking his head as the new indictments were read.
The prosecution agreed to provide the defense with discovery by February 18, 2025.
Court TV requested permission to broadcast the trial. “Obviously, I have an issue with what they want,” Ben-Avraham told the Judge. The prosecution did not say they were for or against having the trial broadcast live to a national audience. Irving will hold a pre-trial conference in the future to hear arguments for or against allowing the media coverage.
Irving ruled the 16-day trial will start on September 8, 2025.
A Prince William County Grand Jury returned an indictment of First Degree Murder and Physically Defiling the body of Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, against her husband and Manassas Park resident Naresh Bhatt.
In a Dec. 2 press conference, Manassas Park Police Chief Mario Lugo said, “I feel we have a strong case despite not having a body,” His department has been working closely with prosecutors to develop the case despite Bhatt not cooperating. “Based on the evidence at the crime scene, we knew early on we were dealing with a murder,” Lugo added, “all the evidence points to one person, and that is [Bhatt].”
Bhatt’s body has never been found.
Bhatt, who at the time of his arrest on August 22, 2024, was a contractor with the U.S. Secret Service, has been held without bond since his arrest. During his arraignment on charges of concealing a dead body in August, Assistant Commonwealth Attorney Sarah Sami presented online search history from Bhatt’s Federal Government computer provided by the U.S. Secret Service, where he searched for such phrases as “what happens when wife dead,” and “how long does it take to get married after spouse dies” in the months before her disappearance.
Bhatt is scheduled for a two-week trial beginning December 9, 2024. Still, Prince William County Commonwealth Amy Ashworth said she expects the “cases will be combined and will not likely be scheduled for trial until the fall of 2025.” Bhatt’s December 3 court date, when officials read the charges to the defendant, had to be postponed because no interpreters were available.
Bhatt had been arrested after his wife, Mamta Kafle Bhatt, 28, was reported missing on August 1, 2024, by co-workers after she missed her overnight shift as a nurse at the UVA Health Prince William Medical Center in Manassas. He was initially only charged with concealing a dead body.
Holly Worth, one of Kafle Bhatt’s co-workers, expressed gratitude for the work officials have done to bring Bhatt to justice, “I am pleased that he is being charged [in Kafle Bhatt’s] murder. I want to offer my appreciation for the tireless work that has led to the grand jury indictment.”
Court records show that the Grand Jury charge sheet lists the murder offense date as one day before the offense date for concealing a body, which was the original charge at his arrest. Prosecutors now allege the murder took place on July 29 while the crime of concealing a body occurred on July 30. The new developments show the prosecution has a stronger idea of what transpired between July 27, the day she was last seen, and August 1, the day her co-workers reported her missing.
The date of the offense is essential in the case as co-workers last saw her on July 27, and she posted content to social media late in the afternoon on July 28. Friends say calls and texts to her cell phone went unanswered after that post. Captain Steve Loving of Manassas Park Police said, “We believe we have a strong timeline of what happened in this case,” when asked about the different offense dates.
Several pieces of legislation are in the works in the Virginia General Assembly to address domestic violence in the Commonwealth. Delegate Ian Lovejoy (R-22, Bristow) is proposing a bill to create a domestic violence registry that requires those convicted of domestic violence to be listed in a searchable database available to the public.
If you think you are a victim of domestic violence, there is help available. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is staffed 24 hours daily and supports more than 200 languages. Its toll-free number is 800-799-7233.
If you are in immediate need of assistance, please call 911.
Kafle Bhatt Investigation Timeline — Days Missing
– July 27
Last seen by co-workers.
Day -1
– July 28
Last social media post at 5:28 PM. Calls and texts go unanswered after this.
Day 0
– August 1
Fails to report to her shift as a nurse at Prince William UVA Hospital.
Day +4
– August 2
Manassas Park Police Department (MPPD) conducts a welfare check after reports from co-workers but does not speak directly with Kafle Bhatt. Her information is entered into a statewide database.
Day +5
– August 2–5
No apparent action by MPPD.
Days +6–8
– August 5
Bhatt is officially reported missing to MPPD.
Day +8
– August 5–8
Police later claim they were investigating, but no explanation is given for why an alert was not issued to the public.
Days +8–11
– August 8
At 2:52 PM, MPPD alerts the public that Kafle Bhatt is missing and requests tips, despite having opened an official investigation three days earlier.
Day +11
– August 21
Bhatt’s husband is named a person of interest. Crime scene investigators search his home.
Day +24
– August 22
Bhatt’s husband is seen being led away in handcuffs from his home. Their toddler is taken into custody by social services.
Day +25
A Prince William County resident is without a car after a simple fender-bender became an insurance scam.
On November 9, 2024, Bethany Selvage was awakened by her neighbor’s call that they had accidentally hit her parked 2018 Nissan Sentra while backing out of their driveway. A police report was filed, and Selvage called her insurance company to get it repaired.
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In an ongoing legal battle with the town’s Mayor, Dumfries issued new fines to Mayor Derrick Wood’s business Dyvine BBQ in Motion on Acts Lane.
The town alleges Wood has failed to comply with ordinances he voted to enact as a council member in 2014 and reaffirmed in 2018, the same year he was elected mayor.
