After an extensive investigation, the Prince William County fire marshall said the cause of the recent fire that destroyed eight vehicles at the Summerland Heights Apartment complex in Woodbridge had been changed to undetermined, leaving residents and officials seeking answers.

Press release:

Update:
After further analysis and investigation the cause of the fire has been changed to undetermined. Additional information will be provided if warranted.

Previously Released:
This morning units were dispatched to the Summerland Heights Apartment complex (Woodbridge) for multiple reports of several autos on fire. Crews arrived with a row of parked cars on fire. Extinguishment quickly followed. A total of eight vehicles were destroyed while three (3) others sustained damage. No injuries were reported. The Fire Marshal’s Office determined the blaze was ignited by an electrical malfunction in a hybrid vehicle. The ensuing fire engulfed nearby autos. Leaking gasoline contributed to the extensive spread.

From the Stafford County Sheriff’s Department:

Two Stafford men received felonies after conspiring to rob a co-worker at gunpoint.

On September 23rd at approximately 9:13 p.m. Deputy W.E. Trainor responded to Genesis Logistics, located at 705 Bradburn Place, for a robbery. The victim advised he was just robbed at gunpoint for two pairs of shoes, valued at over $2,000.

Deputy Trainor made contact with the victim to determine what transpired. The victim advised he agreed to meet with a coworker to sell him the shoes. This co-worker, known only as “Turbo,” made contact with the victim, changed his mind on buying the shoes, and instead set up a meeting for someone else to purchase them. Suspect two would make contact with the victim, brandish a firearm, and demand the shoes. Luckily, the victim was able to record part of the robbery which would be helpful in the investigation.

Deputy Trainor was able to identify “Turbo” as Raquan Jones, 23. Deputy X.D. Bates was able to locate Jones in an Uber on Onville Road and conducted a traffic stop. Jones was found to be in possession of two firearms, one of which had no serial number, and one of the stolen pairs of shoes. He was arrested as detectives within the Violent Crimes Unit took over the investigation.

Detective N.D. Ridings spearheaded the investigation and with the help of his fellow detectives, Detective D.V. Torrice, Detective J.T. Lynch, and Detective B.A. Boyle, identified Isaiah Watts, 24, as a person of interest. Using the footage the victim took of the robbery, detectives were able to confirm the robbery suspect and Watts were one in the same. On September 30th Watts was taken into custody.

Jones was charged with possession of stolen goods and the removal of a serial number from a firearm. He was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail on a $5,000 secured bond; however, as the investigation continued, he was additionally charged with conspiracy to commit grand larceny and conspiracy to commit robbery. He was then held without bond. Watts was charged with robbery, conspiracy to use a firearm in commission of a robbery, grand larceny, conspiracy to commit grand larceny, use of a firearm in commission of a felony. Watts was also held without bond.

Outstanding work by not only patrol deputies for their quick response and apprehension of the first suspect, but also to our detectives for their thorough investigation to apprehend the second suspect.

From the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office:

DRUGS:
Area of Plantation Drive and Smokehouse Drive, 10/2, 12:33 a.m. Deputy C.M. Sterne and Deputy W.A. Bolinsky observed a vehicle run a red light on Warrenton Road and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. While it took awhile for the driver to pull over he finally did. The driver had no driver’slicense. During a search of the vehicle a suspected controlled substance was located. This substance was later tested with a Tru-Narc device and was determined to be methamphetamine.At Rappahannock Regional Jail, the driver was searched and jail staff located another suspected
controlled substance in his undergarments. The driver advised he took so long to pull over because he was stuffing his skivvies. He was charged with possession of controlled substances, felony by a prisoner, driving without a license, and failure to obey a traffic light. He was held without bond.

LARCENY:
Home Depot, 305 Worth Avenue, 10/2, 10:47 a.m. Deputy A.J. Layug responded to a larceny. Staff advised a male suspect stole a nail gun. Home Depot, 305 Worth Avenue, 10/2, 6:09 p.m. Deputy K.F. Bierfeldt would also respond to a larceny at the business. The victim had credit cards, cash, and her driver’s license stolen from her wallet.

YMCA, 212 Butler Road, 10/2, 9:03 p.m. Deputy E.T. Osborn responded to a larceny. The victim advised while he was in the pool his silver chain, valued at $300, was stolen.

PUBLIC INTOXICATION:
Sleep Inn, 595 Warrenton Road, 10/2, 3:42 p.m. Sergeant M.E. Gordon responded to an unknown problem. Dispatch received a call with what sounded like multiple females engaged in a verbal disagreement. Sergeant Gordon was able to make contact with one of the females involved, who advised the incident was over “nothing.” The suspect had signs of intoxication and refused to cooperate with the investigation. Due to her level of intoxication, deputies attempted to detain herwhen she did not cooperate with that either. After a brief struggle she was charged with public intoxication and obstruction of justice. She was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail until sober.

A Stafford man blamed a nonexistent driver for his crash while intoxicated, only to be caught by deputies after reviewing gas station footage, police said.

Press release:

A 41-year-old Stafford man attempted to avoid being in trouble by blaming his crash on a nameless and faceless figure.

On September 28th at approximately 3:43 a.m. deputies responded to the area of Brooke Road and Marlborough Point Road for an automatic crash notification. When they arrived, they located a Toyota off the roadway and in a ditch. Along with the totaled Toyota was only one male.

The male had signs of intoxication and admitted to consuming five beers. He would also advise he was the passenger and the driver fled minutes ago. Despite this, there was no evidence of anyone else being on scene. Since most drivers can’t vanish like ghosts, deputies questioned him further on this made up driver. After learning the truck was at a gas station nearby prior to the crash, deputies informed the male they would check camera footage from the business. Turns out a lie can’t beat technology, for the male advised he would be “in trouble” if they did review camera footage.

Unsurprisingly, the male was determined to be the driver. He was charged with driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content between .15 and .2. He was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail until sober.

 

From the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office:

ASSAULT:
Brooke Point High School, 1700 Courthouse Road, 10/1, 11:30 a.m. The School Resource Officer was patrolling the cafeteria when he was struck in the back of the head by a juvenile. The deputy was not injured and a criminal complaint for assault and battery on law enforcement was filed. Juvenile Intake was advised of the situation and decided to detain the juvenile. He was held at the Juvenile Detention Center.

LARCENY:
Winding Creek Elementary School, 475 Winding Creek Road, 10/1, 8:20 a.m. Lieutenant C.M. Neuhard was patrolling the school when he was informed of a larceny. Staff advised a dog lawn ornament was stolen. Using camera footage, it was determined the larceny occurred Friday at approximately 5:47 a.m.

Ashcroft Drive, 10/1, 6:59 p.m. Deputy S.A. Fulford responded to a larceny. The victim advised her Amazon packages were stolen on Sunday.

VANDALISM:
Boundary Drive, 10/1, 2:03 p.m. Deputy S.M. Eastman responded to a vandalism. The reporting party advised a nearby house was tagged with gold spray paint.

WELFARE CHECK:
Poplar Road, 10/1, 1:38 p.m. Deputies responded to a residence for a welfare check. The concerned caller advised the subject in question never showed up for work. When deputies arrived, they were able to look through a window and see someone lying on the floor. Deputies quickly made forced entry and began administering first aid as Fire and Rescue was requested to respond. The subject was going in and out of consciousness and advised he had been lying on the ground unable to get up. He was transported to a nearby hospital by Fire and Rescue.

The Fredericksburg City Government announced a veteran employee will head the city’s community planning and building department.

Press release:

The City of Fredericksburg is proud to announce Mike Craig as the new Director of Fredericksburg’s Community Planning and Building Department. A ten-year veteran with the City, Mike has spent more than 20 years in the public and private sector focused on planning and economic development here in the Fredericksburg region. He first joined the City in 2014 as Zoning Administrator, and then was promoted to Senior Planner, and again most recently promoted as the City’s Principal Planner. “I’m thrilled at the opportunity to work in this great community! Fredericksburg has so many positive aspects, most notably a tremendous Community Planning and Building Department team. Having lived and worked in this area for more than 20 years, I truly believe the City’s future continues to grow brighter,” Craig stated. City Manager, Tim Baroody, is delighted to welcome Mike in this new role. “After a national search, and interviewing multiple candidates, we are very pleased to welcome a local professional with excellent Virginia and City experience. Mike is a consummate professional, and is highly regarded for his ability to take on challenging concepts and topics. As the City continues to evolve, balancing growth, historic preservation and economic development through planning is more important than ever, and Mike has the skills needed to assist in managing all of the above,” concluded Baroody. Mike has a degree in History from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Virginia Commonwealth University, and is certified by the American Institute of Certified Planners.

The Central Rappahannock Regional Library has introduced privacy pods designed for study, virtual meetings, and telehealth appointments.

Press release:

Central Rappahannock Regional Library (CRRL) has expanded the availability of privacy pods–private spaces for study, virtual meetings, telehealth appointments, and job interviews–that can be reserved by customers with CRRL cards.

Privacy pods at Fredericksburg, Salem Church, and Porter branches opened on Thursday, August 29. Fredericksburg Branch has two Zenbooth solo pods (capacity 1), and Salem Church and Porter each have one Zenbooth duo pod (capacity 2). These privacy pods were made possible by a generous donation from the Trust of Christopher Finley and Mary Campbell Finley.

Privacy pods are also available at CRRL’s Westmoreland County branches thanks to support from the Library of Virginia and a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Newton and Cooper branches have a Zenbooth solo pod (capacity 1), and Montross Branch has a Zenbooth quad pod (capacity 4).

For more information about CRRL privacy pods, meeting rooms, and study rooms, visit librarypoint.org/room-request.

From the Stafford County Sheriff's Office:

ALCOHOL OFFENSE:
Jeff Rouse Center, 1600 Mine Road, 9/28, 12:30 a.m. Sergeant M.L. Jacobeen was in the area when he observed a vehicle occupied by a male and female. Considering the early morning hours, it was unlikely the pair were there for swimming lessons, so Sergeant Jacobeen made contact with them. The male was discovered to be in possession of Twisted Teas and had given the female some to consume. He was issued summons for underage possession of alcohol and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The female was turned over to a family member.

DISTURBANCE:
Stafford Regional Handbell Society, 106 Banks Ford Parkway, 9/27, 9:31 a.m. Sergeant M.E. Gordon was in the area with a disabled vehicle when she observed a loud disturbance occurring. Sergeant Gordon made contact with the two parties involved, the female was detained and eventually charged with obstruction of justice. The male was charged with assault and battery for slapping the female prior to Sergeant Gordon’s arrival. The female was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail on a $1,500 secured bond while the male was held without bond.

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On September 25, deputies were called to O’Reilly Auto Parts at 38 Bojangles Way following reports of fraud suspects in the store. Employees, aware of the suspects from previous incidents involving bounced checks, alerted law enforcement upon their arrival. First Sergeant J.D. Floirendo spotted the suspects’ vehicle entering I-95 North and followed them to a Sheetz station at 15 Wyche Road, where a high-risk traffic stop was executed. Both suspects were detained without incident.

From a Stafford County Sheriff’s Office press release:

On September 25th at approximately 10:28 a.m. deputies responded to O’Reilly Auto Parts, located at 38 Bojangles Way, for fraud suspects in the business. Staff advised a male and female were known to pay for items using a check; however, by the time the check would bounce the suspects were long gone. Due to employees from multiple stores sharing information with each other, when the suspects arrived on this day, staff was well aware of their recent transgressions and contacted law enforcement.

Staff provided a description of the suspect vehicle which First Sergeant J.D. Floirendo located getting onto I-95 Northbound. He would follow the vehicle to the Sheetz, located at 15 Wyche Road, where a high-risk traffic stop was conducted. Both suspects were detained without incident.

The male suspect provided a false identification, but with the help of Detective A Sanchez, was identified as Raymond Willson, 36, of Maryland. Willson was wanted through Stafford County for forgery, uttering, and obtaining money by false pretenses due to a previous bad check report. The female was identified as Jessie Mainville, 20, of Florida. First Sergeant Floirendo was able to connect Mainville to a recent credit card fraud where the victim lost $2,000.

 

Willison was served on his outstanding warrants, as well as, additionally charged with providing false identification to law enforcement and identity theft. Mainville was charged with grand larceny, credit card forgery, and identity theft with intent to defraud. Both were held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond. This is an ongoing investigation and additional charges regarding the bad checks are pending.

Excellent work by First Sergeant Floirendo and Detective Sanchez for ending this crime spree.