Alexandria Police are still investigating a February 22 crash on Duke Street that resulted in the death of a driver and multiple injuries. No one has been arrested in connection to the crash, even though one of the drivers involved was found to be in possession of cocaine and number of other suspected drugs.
“The crash resulted in one fatality, one critical injury, one serious injury, and two minor injuries,” APD said in a release. “Preliminary investigation suggests speed may have been a contributing factor in this incident.”
Five vehicles were involved in the crash, which occurred at around at around 11:50 p.m. One of the vehicles was a silver Toyota Rav4 with Florida plates, and under the driver’s seat police found a bag containing 92 grams of “white powder and white rock-like substances” which tested positive for cocaine, according to a search warrant.
Police also found “3.4 grams of a tan powder believed to be heroin, suspected PCP, three unknown pills and 0.7 grams of suspected marijuana,” according to the warrant.
Field tests for the suspected heroin and PCP were inconclusive and all of the substances have been sent to the Virginia Department of Forensic Science, according to the warrant.
“Currently no one has been charged with any crimes in connection to this incident,” APD Public Information Officer Marcel Bassett told ALXnow. “This investigation is still ongoing and will be thorough to ensure all parties involved are given their due process.”
Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call Officer Wesley Vitale at 703-746-6178, email [email protected] or call APD’s non-emergency number at 703-746-4444. Callers can remain anonymous.
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News Release:: APD Investigates a Multi-Vehicle Crash
The Alexandria Police Department is investigating a multi-vehicle crash that occurred late Tuesday evening.
Read more — https://t.co/5SKU5NPdKt pic.twitter.com/fiyLoqugYZ
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) February 23, 2022
Notification:: Duke Street is temporarily closed between Quaker Lane and Roth Street, this is due to a multi-vehicle crash. Severe injuries were reported. APD and EMS is on scene. No further details at this time. pic.twitter.com/wdskdGYiMo
— Alexandria Police (@AlexandriaVAPD) February 23, 2022
4-VEHICLE CRASH WITH 3 TRAPPED— Duke St at South Quaker Ln in the City of Alexandria (from 11:50 p.m.). 3 patients being taken to trauma centers now. @AlexandriaNow #VATraffic pic.twitter.com/8ZbW17fwxT
— Alan Henney (@alanhenney) February 23, 2022
Map via Google Maps
An 18-year-old Alexandria man was arrested on gun and drug charges after backing his car against a police cruiser and allegedly attempting to drive away.
The incident occurred in the unit block of Oronoco Street near the Alexandria waterfront on Wednesday, Feb. 16.
Police found the suspect’s car parked in a no parking zone. While the investigating officer was advising dispatch of the location and description of the vehicle, the driver “reversed his vehicle, hit my unoccupied cruiser, and attempted to leave the area in an attempt to avoid police interaction,” police said in a search warrant affidavit.
Police also found that the driver is unlicensed, and had 1.1 ounces of marijuana with him, a digital scale and a black and gray loaded Glock 22 handgun.
The driver was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, possessing Schedule I/II drugs while possessing a firearm, driving without a license and failure to pay full attention while operating a vehicle. He was released on $3,000 bond on Feb. 17 and goes to court on March 30.
Two Alexandria men were arrested last month for drug possession and allegedly attempting to flee from police in the Landmark area.
The suspects were arrested after getting pulled over in the 6100 block of Edsall Road on Saturday, Jan. 8.
Police found a digital scale with white powder residue in plain view in the driver’s side door, and then found 3.5 grams of suspected marijuana and an unspecified amount of suspected cocaine in the center console, according to a search warrant.
Police also found plastic baggies with small amounts of marijuana inside a black and white Air Jordan shoe box on the floor of the front passenger’s seat.
The 20-year-old driver, a Fairfax County man, was transferred to another jurisdiction and charged with identity fraud to avoid arrest/impede investigation, fleeing from law enforcement, assault and battery and failure to appear in court. He was arrested carrying nearly $2,000 in cash.
The 23-year-old passenger, an Alexandria man, was released on $50 bond that same day and the charges against him were dropped.
A 26-year-old Alexandria man faces drug and trespassing charges after his mother asked police to search her home in the northeast section of the city.
The man was arrested on Sunday, Dec. 5, after a series of events that began the previous night.
On Sunday afternoon, the suspect’s ex-girlfriend made a walk-in confession to burglary and destruction of property to the Fairfax County Police Department. The woman told police that she entered the home between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., and she said that she went after her ex refused her request to pick up some of her belongings, according to a search warrant.
The woman told police that the front door of the home was unlocked, and that she accidentally shattered a bathroom sink with a soap dispense, according to the warrant. The woman then walked into the living room, where she told police she saw suspected cocaine on a table.
The woman, who was not arrested or charged, also admitted to throwing a dart and shattering a living room window.
Police contacted the homeowner, the suspect’s mother, and she told police that she asked her son to leave the house a week before the incident. Police then observed someone in the home, and the suspect’s mother said that the home should be empty and asked them to conduct a search.
The man was arrested and released the same day on a $1,500 bond and was charged with trespassing and possession of Schedule I/II drugs. He goes to court on Jan. 28.
(Updated 8 p.m.) Alexandria Police are investigating alleged drug possession and distribution at Episcopal High School, one of the most exclusive private boarding schools in the country.
On Dec. 8, police responded to a narcotics complaint at Episcopal and met with the school’s attorney, according to a search warrant affidavit. The officer was told that a week prior, on Dec. 1, two students were found to be allegedly under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Both students were then “immediately withdrawn” from the school by their families, according to the affidavit.
The school’s attorney then told police that one of the suspected students, who turned 18 on Dec. 10, received a number of packages with suspected drugs and that the packages were in the school mailroom.
“The parcels were retrieved and one of the parcels appeared to already be damaged and open,” police said in the search warrant. “Upon looking inside, the administrator believed the contents were illegal narcotics. Based upon the open parcel containing suspected illegal narcotics, the administrator and additional witnesses opened the other parcels and discovered additional suspected narcotics.”
Police found a number of U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail envelopes addressed to the 18-year-old at the school and containing the following:
- 20 grams of suspected Psilocybin mushrooms
- 26 suspected Xanax pills and 1.2 grams of suspected methamphetamine
- 1.3 grams of suspected cocaine
- Five suspected Ecstasy pills
Episcopal’s attorney has not returned ALXnow’s requests for comment, and no arrests have been made.
More than 450 male and female students attend the 182-year-old private boarding school in the fenced 130-acre property at 1200 North Quaker Lane.
Famous alumni include former U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), investor Julian Robertson, Jr., and video game designer Will Wright.
Episcopal went on winter break on Dec. 17, and students will return to classes on Jan. 3.
A 19-year-old Alexandria man faces multiple charges for allegedly driving a van without a license, providing a false name to police and drug possession.
Police observed the suspect allegedly driving the wrong way down the 3800 block of Old Dominion Boulevard in the city’s Arlandria neighborhood on Sunday, Dec. 5.
Police used emergency lights to get the suspect to pull over, and he parked illegally and then got out of the van, according to a search warrant affidavit.
Police then said the suspect provided a false name and date of birth. The man told police that his girlfriend owned the car and that he was dropping off his cousin, who sat in the front passenger seat. The suspect had no identification and admitted to not having a driver’s license. He then left the vehicle before police could get more information.
Police called in a wrecker to tow the van to the city’s impound lot, and during an inventory search found 20 to 40 pills of suspected oxycodone in a plastic baggie, a smoking apparatus made from a water bottle and burned pieces of aluminum foil.
The suspect was arrested and charged with driving without a license, driving on the wrong side of the street, possession of a Schedule II controlled substance and identity theft. He goes to court on Jan. 14, 2022.
With two celebration-filled weeks left in the year, there has been a 34% jump in the number of Driving Under the Influence arrests in 2021 over last year.
As of Dec. 7, there have been 193 DUI arrests in Alexandria, up from 144 last year — a period when police minimized traffic enforcement, and restaurants and bars were still largely closed indoors due to the pandemic.
Still, there were 240 total DUI arrests in Alexandria in 2019 — 20% higher than this year’s current total.
“Enforcement may be up and I would contribute it to our Traffic Safety Section being diligent and staying on top of their training in recognizing drivers who drive under the influence as well as the contributions from our patrol,” Alexandria Police public information officer Marcel Bassett told ALXnow.
Not counted in the figures is a DUI arrest that occurred on Dec. 11, after a pedestrian was struck in Arlandria. The 41-year-old driver was charged with DUI Maiming and DUI Second Offense.
City’s Torpedo Factory plans concern artists — “A recent presentation from the Office of the Arts outlining several proposed options for how to renovate the Torpedo Factory has led to pushback from artists, who claim the city’s plans would radically and irrevocably change the historic art center.” [Alexandria Times]
Alexandria man convicted of armed fentanyl trafficking — “A federal jury convicted an Alexandria man yesterday on charges of conspiracy, possession, and distribution of fentanyl and Eutylone, and being a felon in possession of a firearm during drug trafficking.” [Department of Justice]
Alexandria micro-roasters talk beans, brews and batches — “A few Alexandrians are taking their passion for coffee to the next level and roasting their own beans and selling them in small batches.” [Alexandria Living Magazine]
City of Alexandria wins 3 awards for employee wellness program — “The City of Alexandria is the winner of three awards for a wellness program designed to help its employees.” [Zebra]
DASH ridership up 26% — “[DASH] says its Sept ridership was up 26% (215,963 vs 171,589 in Aug) after it launched revamped bus route network, made fares free. Probably got a bump from more reopening/activity.” [Twitter]
Mount Vernon Trail marked for bump removal — “The trail bumps were marked by spray paint with care with hopes that our volunteers would remove them from there. Volunteer to remove trail bumps on 10/23 or 10/30.” [Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail]
Magistrate fired over comments to Times — “Magistrate Elizabeth Fuller, the woman who filed the complaint that ultimately led to the bondsman in the Karla Dominguez homicide case
losing his license, has been fired for comments she made to the Alexandria Times earlier this month.” [Alexandria Times]
Where to drop off unused prescription drugs in Alexandria — “If you have expired or unused prescription drugs taking up space in your medicine cabinet, Alexandria residents will have an opportunity to safely get rid of them later this month.” [Patch]
A 43-year-old Orange County man was arrested in the Braddock area earlier this month for selling drug paraphernalia and providing a false statement to police after a concerned resident reported people passed out in a car.
On October 7, Alexandria Police found a black Acura TL parked in the 900 block of North Fayette Street. The man was asleep in the driver’s seat, and provided police with the false name of Thomas Sprow, police said in a search warrant affidavit.
Next to him in the passenger seat sat a 28-year-old woman drifting in and out of consciousness, with her door left open. Both the man and the woman were found to have outstanding warrants, and the woman (who had a failure to appear warrant) allegedly ran from police in her handcuffs before being apprehended a short distance away.
Police found more than 100 different types of pills on the male suspect, including Oxycontin, cough medicine, antidepressants, antipsychotics and antihistamines.
The man and woman complained of suffering from medical issues and were then transported to Inova Alexandria Hospital. While en route to the hospital, the woman told police that she took five one milligram “meth pills” an hour before in an effort to commit suicide, according to the affidavit.
The woman was not arrested or charged with any offense. The man was booked into the Alexandria Jail on October 10 and transferred to another facility on October 12, according to the Sheriff’s Office. He goes to court for both offenses on November 11.