<sh>$1 Million in Jewelry Stolen
<bt>Fairfax County police are looking for whoever stole nearly $1 million worth of jewelry (retail value) from a vendor at a recent craft show at the Dulles Expo Center. The victim was a 53-year-old woman from State College, Pa., and the incident occurred at the close of the Sunday, Feb. 1, craft show here.
The woman had gathered up her jewelry, computer, printer, cell phone and credit-card terminals onto a cart, before leaving. Moments later, the cart — and everything on it — was gone. Police officers checked the area, but to no avail.
Later that night, the woman's electronic items were recovered at the Maryland House rest stop along I-95 between Baltimore, Md., and Delaware. Anyone with information about this crime or whoever's involved in it is asked to call police at 703-691-2131 or Crime Solvers at 1-800-673-2777.
<sh>Two Months in Jail for Sexual Battery
<bt>Convicted of sexual battery, a Centreville man was sentenced recently to two months in jail. He is Rasoul Ahmadi, 43, of 14506 Chelsey Place in the Crofton Commons community.
A driver for the Red Top Cap Co., in the early-morning hours of Oct. 11, Ahmadi picked up a 19-year-old Centreville woman from a home in the 11600 block of Leehigh Drive in Fairfax. According to Fairfax County police, while driving her to her home on Gringsby Court in Centreville, he stopped his cab on the shoulder of Aubrey Patent Drive, locked the car doors and fondled her.
He then drove her home and she called the police. Ahmadi was arrested, later that day; police charged him with abduction with intent to defile. However, on Dec. 8 in General District Court, Judge Conrad Waters agreed to reduce the charge to sexual battery, and the case was continued to Jan. 28.
Ahmadi returned then — this time, appearing before Judge Lorraine Nordlund. She found him guilty and sentenced him to 12 months in jail, with 10 months suspended. He has since appealed his conviction.
<sh>Supervisors Fund Some Local Road Improvements
<bt>The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on Monday earmarked $100 million for a variety of road-improvement projects, including two in the local area:
* Widening Centreville Road between Metrotech Drive in Chantilly to McLearen Road in Herndon from two to four lanes. Cost estimate is $26.5 million.
* Widening Stringfellow Road in Chantilly from two to four lanes between Route 50 and I-66. Estimated cost is $16 million.
The supervisors' action doesn't mean these projects will begin any time soon; but it does allocate some money for them.
<sh>Mature Drivers Improvement Program
<bt>Fairfax County police will conduct a class for mature drivers, Saturday, Feb. 28, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., at the Sully District Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly. Sign-in begins at 7:30 a.m.
Crash data, each year, indicates that age plays a significant role in traffic deaths and injuries. So this class is being offered for Virginia residents, age 55 and older, to better help them cope with the demands facing them behind the wheel.
<sh>Field House Correction
<bt>The Field House at Cub Run (Feb. 5 Centre View) will not include an ice rink, after all. Results of a market study indicated that it would not have been a financially viable option.
<sh>WFCM Seeks Used Computers
<bt>Fairfax County schools require that middle- and high-school students do much of their work on a computer. And Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM) has a program that tries to reach children from low-income families who do not own computers. Therefore, any company upgrading its computer system that's capable of running Windows 98, please contact WFCM Executive Director Dorothy Fonow at 703-988-9656 to discuss donating these computers to WFCM's program.
In addition, many Pentium II and III computers now being thrown out by businesses and replaced by newer models could still be used by most nonprofit organizations for: e-mail, Web browsing, office applications, databasing, and accounting.
<sh>Blood Is Urgently Needed
<bt>The Inova Blood Donor Center in the Centremed I Building on Route 29 in Centreville (across from the Centreville Multiplex Cinemas) is in urgent need of blood donations — especially O positive or negative, as well as A and B. They're accepted Tuesday-Friday, noon-8 p.m., and Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. For an appointment to give blood, call 703-322-1970, or drop in at your own convenience.
<sh>Baby Supplies Are Sought
<bt>Western Fairfax Christian Ministries is currently in need of baby food, formula and large-sized diapers. Please drop off items to WFCM at 13981 Metrotech Drive in Chantilly.