Detectives are investigating a murder-suicide incident where Davaughn Jamaal Henderson, 33, and Ashleigh Kaylynn Cash, 30, both from Dumfries, were found dead from gunshot wounds inside a residence on Fort Monroe Circle in Dumfries on August 7.
The investigation suggests that Henderson shot Cash and then himself following an altercation between the two, who were in a relationship. The event is believed to be domestic in nature. A firearm was recovered at the scene, and police are continuing their investigation, seeking any additional information from the public.
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The Prince William Board of County Supervisors has approved the use of condemnation and quick-take powers to acquire properties needed for the Route 1 road widening project between Brady’s Hill Road in Dumfries and Route 234.
The project will expand Route 1 northbound into a six-lane divided roadway while converting the southbound portion (Main Street) into a two-lane road. The total budget for the project is $19.4 million, funded through federal, state, and regional Northern Virginia transportation sources.
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A 45-year-old man sleeping inside a van was the victim of sexual assault and was treated at a hospital, police said.
The incident occurred across from a Walmart located near Dumfries.
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On Friday, August 30, 2024, the parking lot of Winners Church at 17877 Old Triangle Road transformed into a bustling center of health and wellness. Community members gathered for a comprehensive health fair aimed at providing crucial medical screenings and education to the uninsured and underinsured.
The event, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., was a partnership between Winners Church and Sentara Healthcare, marking a new collaborative effort to enhance community health services. This year’s fair featured a vital addition—a mobile mammogram van from Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center offering free cancer screenings.
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Chris Strong from the National Weather Service Baltimore-Washington office noted the unusual nature of the storm, highlighting that "one of the biggest things that was more uncommon about that event was just how little wind there was in the general atmosphere for these storms to move around." This lack of atmospheric movement allowed the storms to "evolve and develop in place," leading to prolonged periods of heavy rain and persistent lightning across several areas.
Despite the severity, the region did not experience any tornadic activity. Strong explained that tornadoes generally require wind shear—an increase in wind speed and a change in direction at different altitudes—which was absent during this event. This contributed to the storm's stationary behavior, causing extended weather disturbances over the same locations.
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The Prince William County Police Department is urgently seeking public assistance to locate Caleb Anthony Beer, a missing endangered adult last contacted on April 6, known to frequent areas in Culpeper, Stafford, Woodbridge, and Dumfries, with his safety currently in question due to undisclosed reasons.
*MISSING ENDANGERED ADULT: The Prince William County Police Department is asking for the public's help locating Caleb Anthony BEER who was reported missing by family members on April 19. Family members became concerned after not hearing from Caleb for several days with the last known contact with Caleb being on April 6. During the ongoing investigation, additional information was recently obtained by detectives leading to increased concern for Caleb’s wellbeing and has prompted him to now be considered endangered. Currently, it is undetermined if Caleb is missing due to voluntary reasons, or possible foul play. Caleb is unhoused and known to frequent Culpeper, Stafford, Woodbridge, and Dumfries, and unhoused encampment areas. Anyone who has information regarding the whereabouts of this person or information that can otherwise aid in the investigation is asked to contact Prince William County police at 703-792-6500 or your local police department.
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Sanctuary jurisdictions typically have regulations that limit cooperation with ICE, impacting the enforcement of immigration laws. These measures may include refusing ICE detainers, restricting agency interactions with ICE, or hindering the sharing of information about incarcerated aliens.
ICE uses detainers as a key mechanism to detain aliens involved in criminal activities, ensuring their custody transfer for deportation. These detainers provide details about the individual’s criminal and immigration history, highlighting their public safety or security risk.
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Vindman sought to energize his base and draw a contrast with his Republican opponent, Derek Anderson, in the closely watched race for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, which includes Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Woodbridge. With only 84 days until Election Day, Vindman emphasized the stakes of the upcoming election, framing it as a critical moment for the nation and the community.
In his speech, the retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel invoked his personal story as an immigrant who arrived in the U.S. with his family, possessing little more than the hope of achieving the American dream. “The stakes in this election couldn’t be higher,” Vindman said, underscoring his belief that the very essence of that dream is on the line. He criticized the rhetoric coming from the Republican Party, likening it to what one might hear in authoritarian regimes such as North Korea, Iran, or Russia. Vindman argued that such narratives undermine the fundamental values that make the United States great.
Vindman’s message was tailored to national issues and specific concerns in the 7th District, including Northern Virginia communities such as Woodbridge and Dale City. “When I had the opportunity to retire, I chose to retire here in Northern Virginia,” Vindman said, describing his newfound connection to the area where he and his wife, Cindy, chose to live after he left the military in 2022.
Vindman’s brother, Retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, made headlines for his testimony during the 2019 impeachment hearings of President Donald Trump after he reported concerns about President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine after hearing Trump’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy while serving on the National Security Council.
Eugene Vindman addressed challenges related to Interstate 95, a major transportation artery in the region. He called for improvements to make it multimodal and accept trains and buses to shuttle commuters to Washington, D.C. He also spoke about the importance of maintaining high-quality schools for his family and all families in the district.
The topic of education led Vindman to denounce efforts by some in the district to ban and even burn books, specifically mentioning Stafford County School district banning several gender-bending books some parents decried as pornographic: “They want to cover up our history, and that’s just plain unacceptable,” Vindman declared.
A Vindman media relations manager denied a request to make Vindman available for press questions at this event.
Vindman’s speech also touched on Project 2025, an initiative championed by the non-profit Heritage Foundation that he described as a “significant threat to the social safety net.” Vindman erroneously tied Project 2025 with Republican candidates and his opponent instead of the non-profit think tank that authored it.
Vindman emphasized the potential economic impact of eliminating 50,000 civil service jobs. “Can you imagine those high-paying civil service jobs being eliminated or moved out? What would that do to this economy? How would that devastate this economy?” Vindman asked rhetorically to the group.
Despite Vindman’s assertions, Anderson has not backed Project 2025. In a statement to the Washington Post, Anderson said that he does “not support any initiatives that will hurt national security.” An Anderson campaign spokesman said, “This is not something our campaign has ever talked about. Derrick Anderson has been clear that he always places the needs of the country over party, anything that will negatively affect families in VA-07 won’t be supported, and he encourages voters to fact check [Vindman’s] claims.”
Throughout his speech, Vindman attempted to draw a line between him and Anderson, an Army Green Beret, whom he accused of being “bought and paid for by MAGA.” Anderson is a decorated Army Green Beret with six overseas deployments across Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, and Bahrain.
Vindman pointed to the difference in campaign donations as evidence of their differing loyalties, noting that his average donation is just $27, while Anderson’s financial support comes from “Ultra MAGA” sources. Vindman argued that Anderson would vote in line with those interests if elected, to the detriment of the district and the nation.
Vindman did not mention the ongoing controversy of purported unauthorized small-dollar donations linked to the Democrat fundraising platform ActBlue. These so-called small-dollar donations appear as grass-roots support, but many donors claim to have never authorized those donations.
According to the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), Barbara Staples, a Springhill, Texas retiree, purportedly made 53 small-dollar donations to ActBlue in a single day and 1,600 other donation transactions since 2022. The FEC website shows five small-dollar contributions on June 16, 2024. When asked, Staples said she hadn’t made any donations.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyaras announced an investigation into these allegedly fraudulent donations by ActBlue earlier this month, joining a list of state Attorneys General investigating the organization for potential laundering of illegal foreign campaign donations.
The National Republican Congressional Committee spokeswoman Delanie Bowmar doubled down on the accusations against ActBlue donations and Vindman’s assertions of small-dollar donations, “Vindman’s campaign war chest doubles as a piggy bank for anti-Israel extremists: campaign donations go in, anti-Israel policies spew out. We know Vindman will kowtow to extremists who burn down college campuses – just check the receipts.”
Early voting in Virginia begins September 20, 2024. The final day for in-person precinct voting is November 5, 2024. For more information on voting, elections.virginia.gov.
Dumfries Vice Mayor Monae Nickerson is leading a renewed effort to attract more small businesses to the town as it prepares for the opening of The Rose, a 300-room gaming resort and hotel set to become the largest gaming destination in Northern Virginia. Town leaders are focused on creating a diverse mix of retail and service businesses to complement the expected influx of visitors with the resort’s opening.
Nickerson outlined the town’s strategy, which includes a year-long contract extension with Retail Strategies, a firm hired to identify and attract potential businesses to Dumfries. “We are hopeful that the Rose will serve as a beacon, an anchor, that will attract more businesses to Dumfries as a destination,” Nickerson said. The Rose, which will offer video slot machines but not table games, is expected to draw visitors from across the region.
Retail Strategies has been working closely with the town to represent it at national retail shows and identify opportunities for new business development. The firm has identified 45 real estate assets within Dumfries, including vacant areas that could be developed into business spaces.
Nickerson highlighted the town’s challenges, particularly competition from neighboring areas like Woodbridge and Stafford. “What we had been told is that it’s been difficult to get businesses here,” Nickerson said. Despite these challenges, the town council remains committed to its vision of Dumfries as a destination, not just a place people pass through.
Dumfries has one grocery store, U-Mart, located on Fraley Boulevard. The town is working to attract more businesses, particularly those that can provide healthy food options. “We do have what would be considered a food desert when you look at the amount of people we have in the town and the income levels,” Nickerson noted.
The Rose is seen as a catalyst for change, hoping to encourage more businesses to set up shop in Dumfries. “Now that the Rose is coming, we believe it will make other businesses want to come because there will be more traffic driven right to Dumfries as a destination,” Nickerson added.
The town council also revitalizes existing commercial spaces, including two strip malls that could benefit from new tenants. Nickerson emphasized the importance of supporting current businesses while attracting new ones. “If we could come up with resources to help these businesses bring in more tenants, hold on to the tenants they have, and provide them with resources to grow, we can be defined as a business district,” she said.
Nickerson also discussed the possibility of streamlining the business opening process in Dumfries, including permitting and inspections, to make the town more business-friendly. “We need to make it easier for businesses to start and stay here,” she stated.
