August 2, 2002
Child Sex Cases to Grand Jury
The child sex cases against a woman who taught and coached in Reston schools have been sent to the grand jury. She is Vanessa Baker, 26, of Montjoy Court in Centreville.
Before her arrest last month, she was in her second year of teaching physical education at Langston Hughes Middle School. And for the past year, she was the freshman girls basketball coach at South Lakes High.
However, following a police investigation — triggered by information received from a third party — on June 12, Fairfax County police arrested Baker. She is charged with carnal knowledge and custodial indecent liberties and has been suspended without pay from her jobs with the school system. If convicted, she could be sentenced to as much as 15 years in prison.
According to police, Baker had a relationship with an acquaintance under age 18. They say a "series of incidents" reportedly occurred "in various locations in Fairfax County" during the past year.
She is currently free on $10,000 bond. She appeared Friday in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, and the judge certified both charges against her to the next grand jury for possible indictment.
Police Charge Girl for False Reports
Last Monday, July 22, police responded to a 10:30 a.m. stabbing at Herndon's Rachel Carson Middle School, as reported by the alleged victim, a 14-year-old female summer school student from Reston. But on Wednesday Fairfax County Police obtained petitions charging the female student with two counts of filing a false police report.
The girl said she was approached inside the school by a boy she knew. She reported that the boy took out a knife and cut her, causing minor non-life threatening injuries. Police later determined the injuries to be self-inflicted. Investigation revealed that the girl had fabricated the story, according to a police report. The second false report charge was placed after an investigation into a sexual assault she reported to have occurred on July 9. Police also determined that report to be a fabrication. Other allegations made by the girl are still under investigation.
RA Wants Rail, Not BRT
Last Thursday the Reston Association board of directors voted to recommend to the Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit officials that a rail line be built to Dulles without being preceded by a bus rapid transit system.
The board chose this option after hearing a presentation from the RA metrorail committee endorsing the metrorail alternative. The presentation noted that metrorail will provide more long-term use than bus rapid transit, metrorail would have more "cache" than bus rapid transit and that the metrorail alternative would save money over the phased implementation alternative.
The Dulles Corridor Rapid Transit Draft Environmental Impact Statement includes five alternatives for the rail project. One alternative, the "no build" alternative, gives the option to make no transit improvements at all along the Dulles Corridor. A second alternative features a system of rapid transit buses along the corridor. A third alternative, the one chosen by the RA, features a metrorail station with no bus rapid transit. A fourth alternative features metrorail to Tysons Corner and bus rapid transit to Dulles. The last alternative, the phased implementation alternative, features a bus rapid transit system along the Dulles Toll Road, to be replaced by metrorail.
UCP to Move
The United Christian Parish of Reston will be moving its Sunday worship services and Sunday school classes to its Redeemer building at 11508 North Shore Drive, next to Lake Anne Elementary School. The first services at the new location will be on Aug. 4. New worship times will also go into effect as of Aug. 4. The new times are 8:45 a.m. and 11 a.m., with child care provided. Sunday school classes for both children and adults will begin at 10 a.m. Holy communion is celebrated at the 8:45 a.m. service on the first Sunday of every month and at the 11 a.m. service every Sunday.
The Redeemer building was consecrated in January 1967. The building was home for the United Methodist Church congregation, which had been worshipping in Reston since 1964. On Pentecost Sunday in 1973, the United Christian Parish was established as an ecumenical congregation uniting the United Church of Christ, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Presbyterian Church and the United Methodist Church. UCP is one of the very few multi-denominational, ecumenical congregations in the United States and the only one uniting four denominations.
From 1979 to 1999 UCP was split into three congregations: one in the Lake Anne neighborhood, one in Hunters Woods and one in South Lakes. The three congregations started operating as one unified congregation in 1999, at the South Lakes site. Since that time the needs of the congregation have grown. The Redeemer building affords UCP the land to expand as needed.