On June 4, 2024, a Prince William County Grand Jury indicted 47-year-old Manassas Park Resident Jose Rafael Lizama on a felony Involuntary Manslaughter and misdemeanor DUI stemming from a December 2, 2023 crash where Lizama is accused of striking and killing pedestrian Justin Burns, 39, of Blackstone.
A nearby homeowner’s surveillance camera caught the crash on video that shows a white van, allegedly driven by Lizama, strike Burns, who was crossing on foot the 8900 block of Center Street in downtown Manassas, near the Old Town Sports Pub, just before 11 p.m. in an unlit area away outside a crosswalk.
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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Clerk’s Historical Online Portal (HOP) now includes marriage licenses from the Civil War era to the early 1900s, making historical documents more accessible for research.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.
Among the night's honorees was Anjali Ghafoerkhan, who expressed gratitude for the scholarship that would help her pursue higher education.
"I've needed a lot of support throughout my life," Ghafoerkhan shared, detailing the challenges of growing up with a mother diagnosed with type-2 bipolar disorder and a family history in the domestic relations court. Despite these difficulties, Anjali excelled academically and received offers from several prestigious universities, including Harvard, where she has committed to and will be attending in the fall.
The scholarships are for young scholars who have overcome legal and domestic relations challenges to achieve academic success. Some program members violated laws, while others were victims of abuse, neglect, trafficking, mental health, or substance abuse. Established in 2001 in Prince William County, the program mirrors a national initiative by the Children's Defense Fund to support young people involved in the juvenile justice system. Support for the program comes from the local Bar Foundation—the nonprofit arm of the Bar Association.
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(Prince William Times $) The controversial Prince William Digital Gateway, a rezoning allowing a massive data center development at the edge of the Manassas battlefield, is facing one fewer hurdle following the dismissal Thursday of the first of three lawsuits filed against it.
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The Prince William Board of County Supervisors has received an update on the county's Safe and Secure Communities Initiative, approved in 2022. The program, inspired by successful models in cities like Boston and Philadelphia, aims to address crime through a collaborative, data-driven approach involving multiple county departments, including police, fire and rescue, and the courts.
Officials launched the initiative with an open house at the Ferlazzo Building in Woodbridge on May 11 and plan to establish a Community Safety Advisory Committee, hold resident listening sessions, and draft safety recommendations.
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Editors note: We blurred the faces of Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney's Office employees. We obtained and published the non-blurred image from a social media account maintained by a Commonwealth Attorney's Office employee. After publication, that employee asked us to remove the photo, citing the need to protect the employees' identities.Â
County records show that nine days before Prince William County Commonwealth Attorney Amy Ashworth threatened to stop prosecuting a wide-ranging number of cases due to what she called a funding shortage, Ashworth’s office spent nearly $3,500 in taxpayer funds to bring a local chef to perform a cooking demonstration for her staff at the Old Manassas Courthouse.
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A Prince William County judge revoked the $5,000 bond for a Virginia man who is accused of killing his girlfriend and her young child in a car crash.
Six veterans graduated from the Prince William County Court's Veterans Docket May 1, 2024.
The rehabilitative diversion program was initiated in 2019, one of only 206 across the nation. It is designed for veterans encountering challenges stemming from their military service, often leading to mental or emotional struggles that manifest in criminal behavior. The program holistically integrates probation, community health resources, the prosecutor's office, and volunteers to assist veterans in overcoming these obstacles.
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On May 1, 2024, Jose Rafael Lizama, a 47-year-old Manassas Park resident, made his first appearance in front of Prince William County Judge Wallace S. Covington. Lizama is accused of driving drunk and striking and killing Justin Burns, of Blackstone, 39, who was crossing the 8900 block of Center Street in downtown Manassas, near Old Town Sports Pub, just before 11 p.m. on December 2, 2023.
![Judge Jarvis shakes hands with keynote speaker Joe Houser thanking him for his support of the program. [Photo: Prince William County Government]](https://www.potomaclocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/050124-prince-william-vets-docket-1-1260x840.jpg){kind=link}
![Judge Jarvis listens to testimony in the case of a current participant in the program [Photo: Prince William County Government]](https://www.potomaclocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/050124-prince-william-vets-docket-1260x840.jpg){kind=link}
![A veteran describes his experience in the program to the audience as PWC Criminal Justice Services Program Manager Chris Mayers looks on. [Photo: Prince William County Government]](https://www.potomaclocal.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/050124-prince-william-veterans-docket-2-1260x840.jpg){kind=link}