Editor’s Note: Incident information was obtained from the Activity Report provided by Fairfax County Police Department’s Public Information Office. The incidents included are at the discretion of the PIO and are not to be considered all-inclusive.
For the week ending Jan. 25, there were five larcenies and two vehicle thefts included in the Fair Oaks District Activity Report. Fair Oaks District encompasses Oakton.
Major Incidents — Countywide
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Police Seek Assistance Identifying Robbery Suspect: The Fairfax County Police Department, in cooperation with the Prince William County Police and the Manassas Park Police Department are investigating a series of armed robberies that have been occurring since December 29, 2011, and which involve a white female suspect.
The first robbery occurred on December 29, 2011, at a Shell Gas station located at 13704 Lee Jackson Memorial Highway in the Chantilly area. Around 10:30 p.m., a woman entered thebusiness, displayed a small silver handgun and demanded cash. The clerk gave cash to the suspect who then left in a dark colored station wagon.
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The second robbery also occurred on December 29, 2011 at the 7-Eleven store, located at 8521 Centreville Road in Manassas Park. Around 11:09 p.m., a woman entered the store, displayed a black handgun and demanded money. Before the clerk could comply, a customer approached the store and the suspect fled to a car parked nearby.
The third robbery occurred on January 1, 2012 in the Manassas area of Prince William County. Around 2:30 a.m. a woman entered the 7-Eleven store located at 10740 Coverstone Drive, displayed a black handgun and demanded money. The clerk complied and the suspect fled on foot.
The latest robbery occurred on January 10, 2012 at an Exxon Gas station, located at 7519 Leesburg Pike in the Falls Church area of Fairfax County. Around 10:05 p.m. a woman entered the business and displayed a small black handgun and demanded money. The clerk gave cash to the suspect who then fled on foot toward the Idylwood Plaza shopping center located near Route 7 and Pimmit Drive.
In each case, the suspect has been described as white, in her early to mid-20s, 5 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 7 inches tall, wearing a dark colored hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans or dark colored pants, and displaying a silver or black handgun. In the last case the suspect wore a black mask to cover the lower portion of her face.
The suspect is associated with a dark-colored, small station wagon style vehicle, similar to a Subaru Forrester or Outback.
Anyone with information about these cases is asked to contact Crime Solvers by phone at 866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org, or text “TIP187”plus your message to CRIMES/274637 or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131, Prince William County Police at 703 792-6500, or the City of Manassas Park Police at 703-361-1136 or Manassas Park Police tipline at 703-330-0330.
Seniors Scammed; Police Educate: An 86-year-old Springfield area woman was told last week she had won the lottery. But there was a catch; she needed to wire money to the “caller” in order to collect her winnings. She did as she was asked.
A 91-year-old Fair Oaks area man was upset and concerned when he got a call from his “grandson” who said he’d been arrested and jailed in Peru a few weeks ago. Doing what any loving grandparent would, the man wired over $13,000 in an attempt to help.
An 80-year-old woman wired $4,800 to Bolivia to her “granddaughter” who was there for a wedding and had gotten into a serious accident; then sent $5000 more for medical expenses.
All three of these victims were recently duped by scammers who are aggressively preying on seniors. Sadly, these are just a few of the hundreds of cases detectives in the Financial Crimes Unit see each year. Worse yet, once money has been wired, victims have very little recourse and these cases are rarely prosecutable.
According to Financial Crimes Detective Tom Polhemus,“Education is key. We need to get the word out that people should not wire money to people they speak with on the phone. The amount of fraud in this area is of great concern to us.”
In an effort to help educate seniors, their children, and the community at large, detectives from the FCPD Financial Crimes Unit are available for group presentations. As the scams changefrom year to year, police are aware of particular details and want to help raise public awareness as well.
To learn more about financial crimes and scams or to report a crime, visit the Financial Crime Online Reporting site of the FCPD website at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/police/financialcrimes/. To request a group presentation, contact Lucy Caldwell, Public Information Office at 703-246-3271.
Larcenies — Fair Oaks District
- 13000 Fair Lakes Shopping Center, cell phones stolen from business
- 4200 Fairfax Corner Avenue, necklace stolen from business
- 12100 Fairfax Towne Center, wallet stolen from business
- 11200 James Swart Circle, two bottles of liquor stolen from business
- 3300 Willow Crescent Drive, laptop computer, GPS unit and documents stolen from vehicle
Vehicle Thefts
- 3100 Buccaneer Court, 2007 Toyota Camry
- 11800 Fair Oaks Shopping Center, Mercedes 450 GL
The following Oakton resident was included in Fairfax County Police's weekly log released Jan. 25. The name was taken from the list Fairfax County Police publishes weekly of those arrested in Fairfax County. An arrest not indicate a conviction.
Name (Age) Address Date of Incident Charge Description Vergara, Andrew Mark (21) 10221 Valentino Drive, Oakton 1/22/12 Petit Larceny: <$200 Not From a PersonGet more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.