Commonwealth's Attorney

Police: Man who threatened Alexandria judges compared himself to Luigi Mangione

Published March 19, 2026 at 11:45AM

The Franklin P. Backus Courthouse at 520 King Street in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

A Maryland man charged with threatening Alexandria judges and Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office staffers allegedly compared himself to Luigi Mangione — the man charged with the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson — according to an Alexandria Police Department search warrant affidavit.

Lindolfo Pedraza has been held without bond since his Jan. 28 arrest at home in Allegany County, Md., and his case will head to a jury trial on Monday, April 13. The 53-year-old is accused of going to a judge’s home and sending threatening emails to two judges and deputy commonwealth’s attorneys involved in a 2021 case in which he lost custody of his son, according to the recently released search warrant affidavit.

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Grand jury indicts ex-D.C. police officer on multiple sexual assault charges in Alexandria

By Katie Taranto

Published March 9, 2026 at 4:30PM

APD Chief Tarrick McGuire speaks during a press conference regarding multiple sexual assault cases in the region, joined by Prince George’s County Deputy Police Chief, Curtis Lightner (left), Prince George’s County State’s Attorney, Tara H. Jackson and Alexandria Commonwealth's Attorney, Bryan Porter (staff photo by Katie Taranto)

An Alexandria grand jury indicted a former D.C. police officer on more than two dozen felony charges today (Monday) related to a series of sexual assaults in Alexandria last year.

Timothy Valentin, 30, of Fort Washington, Md., is currently accused of multiple sexual assaults in Alexandria and Maryland that occurred between 2024 and 2025. The suspect, an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department until 2022, faces new charges including rape by force, rape by incapacitation and abduction with intent to defile in connection to three cases in Alexandria last year.

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Sheriff’s Office accepting applications for four-week ‘Community Academy’ program

By James Cullum

Published January 22, 2026 at 9:30AM

Sergeant Mauck supervises a PepperBall® launcher training activity with members of the Alexandria Sheriff’s Community Academy. (via Alexandria Sheriff’s Office)

Sheriff Sean Casey is inviting residents to the city courthouse and jail to learn about the inner workings of the Sheriff’s Office.

Applications are currently being accepted for the spring session of the Sheriff’s Community Academy. The free sessions run on four consecutive Saturdays from March 7-28, teaching residents about jail operations, inmate services, judicial operations and more. The application deadline to participate is Feb. 27.

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City’s top prosecutor will not seek criminal charges for police from August in-custody death

By Emily Leayman

Published January 15, 2026 at 2:45PM

Commonwealth's Attorney Bryan Porter speaks at the No Kings Rally at Market Square in Old Town, June 14, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria’s top prosecutor is declining to bring criminal charges against officers involved in the Alexandria Police Department’s in-custody death of a Woodbridge man last summer.

Officers involved in the Aug. 15, 2025 death of Allan F. Tucker, II, will not be charged, Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter announced this afternoon (Thursday), following investigations by the medical examiner and Northern Virginia’s Critical Incident Review Team.

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D.C. man sentenced to decade in prison for 2024 abduction, attempted rape in Potomac Yard

By James Cullum

Published January 14, 2026 at 2:45PM

The Franklin P. Backus Courthouse at 520 King Street in Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

A man from D.C. has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, five months after pleading guilty to the 2024 abduction and attempted rape of a woman in Potomac Yard.

Dykwon Perry Davis, 27, was sentenced to 10 years of active incarceration, after pleading guilty in August. The incident occurred in the 2200 block of Main Line Blvd in the early hours of Feb. 3, 2024, when Davis attacked the woman, tried to pull her into an alley and take off her pants.

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Domestic violence survivors call for more program funding at Old Town discussion with prosecutors

By James Cullum

Published November 19, 2025 at 3:45PM

NaQuetta Mitchell talks to Commonwealth's Attorneys in Old Town, Nov. 19, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Amid deepening federal funding cuts to programs for crime victims, commonwealth’s attorneys gathered in Alexandria today (Wednesday) to listen to survivors’ stories.

The public officials attended the discussion at the National Organization of Victim Advocacy on 510 King Street. Among them were Steve Descano of Fairfax County, Parisa Dehghani-Tafti of Arlington and Falls Church and Remin Fatehi of Norfolk.

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Alexandria voters reelect sheriff, commonwealth’s attorney and three state delegates

By Katie Taranto

Published November 5, 2025 at 9:15AM

Commonwealth's Attorney Bryan Porter speaks at the No Kings Rally at Market Square in Old Town, June 14, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria voters reelected Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter, Sheriff Sean Casey and three House of Delegates members in resounding victories.

Running without opposition, Porter and Casey each received 96% of votes. Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3), Del. Charniele L. Herring (D-4) and Del. Elizabeth B. Bennett-Parker (D-5) also held onto their statehouse seats.

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Who is on the ballot and where to vote in Alexandria on Election Day tomorrow

By Katie Taranto

Published November 3, 2025 at 1:45PM

Voting at Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library in Alexandria's West End, Nov. 5, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and members of the House of Delegates are all on the ballot in Alexandria tomorrow.

The city’s voters are also poised to re-elect incumbent Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter and Sheriff Sean Casey, both of whom are running unopposed.

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Alexandria to host free expungement clinic Oct. 18

By James Cullum

Published September 29, 2025 at 1:45PM

The Franklin P. Backus Courthouse in Old Town, Alexandria (staff photo by James Cullum)

Looking to clear your criminal record? Some of Alexandria’s top legal minds will meet next month for a free expungement clinic in the city’s West End.

The clinic will be held at Patrick Henry Recreation Center (4653 Taney Avenue) on Oct. 18 (Saturday) from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with volunteer pro bono attorneys, as well as Del Charniele Herring (D-4), Sheriff Sean Casey, Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter, Circuit Court Clerk Greg Parks, and Public Defender Megan Thomas.

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Skill games crackdown, dating fraud death lead week’s top Alexandria stories

By James Cullum

Published August 15, 2025 at 3:30PM

Skill games at Tiger Mart & Bakery, 3903 Mount Vernon Avenue in the city's Arlandria neighborhood (staff photo by James Cullum)

Welcome to Friday, Alexandria! Here’s our recap of the most-read stories.

Our top story this week is on two Alexandria business owners charged with possession of an illegal gambling device for operating skill games. The news marks the first indictments against Alexandria business owners for the devices. Dozens of skill game machines operate at multiple convenience and grocery stores in the West End and Arlandria neighborhoods, despite police hand-delivering warning letters to more than a dozen offending businesses. Skill games were outlawed as illegal gaming by the Virginia legislature in 2020, and Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter told ALXnow that his office is assessing “all potential investigative leads.”

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Alexandria man sentenced to 12 years in drug conspiracy case

By James Cullum

Published August 11, 2025 at 2:30PM

The Alexandria courthouse in Old Town (staff photo by James Cullum)

An Alexandria man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for a “high-level drugs conspiracy that shipped significant amounts of narcotics” into Virginia, according to Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter.

Adrian Bryce Roberts, 41, was sentenced to 12 years of active incarceration on July 28 after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl, and transporting more than an ounce of narcotics into the state, according to Porter’s office.