<cl>Suspect
<sh>Police Seek Woman's Assaulter
<lst>Fairfax County police are looking for the person who abducted and sexually assaulted a 37-year-old Fairfax woman, early Saturday morning, in the Penderbrook area. The woman was driving her car, around 8 a.m., when she stopped at the intersection of the Fairfax Towne Center and West Ox Road.
Police say a man entered her car, displayed a weapon and forced her to drive to the area of South Penderbrook Drive and Inverness Road, where he sexually assaulted her. He then fled on foot in the direction of Route 50. The suspect is described as white, 20-30, of Middle-Eastern descent, 5 feet 7 to 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 150-180 pounds. He had dark hair and wore a hooded, blue sweatshirt.
Police are seeking witnesses who may have seen the man approaching the victim's black, four-dour Saturn at the intersection of Fairfax Towne Center and West Ox Road. Said police spokesman Bud Walker: "Since there's a grocery store there and people were out shopping because of the snow, we're hoping someone saw the initial contact between the suspect and victim."
Anyone with information about the incident or the suspect is asked to call police at 703-691-2131 or Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477. Meanwhile, added Walker, "We're recommending that people always lock their cars. And if approached by a stranger who wants to talk, just crack a window."
<sh>Centreville Man is Killed in Construction Cave-In
<lst>A 39-year-old Centreville man was killed in a construction accident last week when the wall of a trench he was working in collapsed and buried him instantly. The victim, Aristides Chavarria, 39, of the 14200 block of St. Germain Drive, worked for JHL, a plumbing company in Sterling.
According to Master Det. Dennis Mangan with the Prince William County Police Department, Chavarria was working on a residential project in the Lake Manassas community near Gainesville, last Wednesday, Jan. 19, when the tragedy occurred.
"Two plumbers were digging a trench, and it caved in," said Mangan. "They both scrambled for safety, but only one of them made it."
Chavarria had been digging a nearly 10-foot-deep trench for a plumbing pipe leading into the basement of one of the homes under construction there. Added Mangan: "OSHA is investigating because it was a work-related death."
<sh>Clifton Town Council Meeting
<lst>The next meeting of the Clifton Town Council will be Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 7 p.m. in the Clifton Town Meeting Hall, 12641 Chapel Road in Clifton. At that time, the town hopes to finally decide what to do with the old Town Hall building — whether to keep it, sell it or develop it as a commercial or residential property. Residents will also receive an update on Clifton's HUD homes selling program.
<sh>Centreville Historic District Mtg.
<lst>The Centreville Historic District work group will meet Thursday, Feb. 3, at 7 p.m. in the Sully District Governmental Center, 4900 Stonecroft Blvd. in Chantilly. The visioning session of the last meeting will be discussed, and information will be presented on the historical background of the 30 parcels in the proposed Historic District expansion area.
<sh>Off-Leash Dog Park Meeting
<lst>CentrevilleDogs — a group of more than 150 Centreville residents who want to establish a local, off-leash dog park — will meet Thursday, Feb. 3, from 7-8 p.m. The meeting is at the Sully Station II Community Center, 5501 Sully Park Drive in Centreville.
The group is currently working with the Fairfax County Park Authority to perhaps locate such a facility within Quinn Farm Park at the intersection of Braddock and Old Lee roads. So far, it's reached 20 percent of its fund-raising goal of $10,000. For more information, e-mail CentrevilleDogs@yahoo.com., see www.centrevilledogs.org or write to P.O. Box 230542, Centreville, VA 20120.
<sh>Dulles Airport Runways Draft EIS
<lst>The draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the new runways at Dulles International Airport has just been released. It may be viewed at www.mwaa.com/dulles/EnvironmentalStudies/RunwaysEIS.htm. In addition, a public hearing on this document and its contents will be held Wednesday, Feb. 23, at Stone Middle School. The public information meeting will begin at 5 p.m., followed by the public hearing at 6 p.m.
<sh>Constituent Viewpoint Hotline
<lst>The Virginia General Assembly will again provide a toll-free Constituent Viewpoint hotline. This will allow residents to express their views on issues before the General Assembly to their representatives in the Senate and the House of Delegates. The number is 1-800-889-0229. Constituent Viewpoint will receive calls from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on each legislative workday from Jan. 12 through Feb. 25.
Operators will ask callers to provide their names, addresses and phone numbers for verification purposes, plus the legislative issue on which they are expressing their views. Operators will provide the names of the callers' legislators, record their messages and forward this information to the legislators.
<sh>Tampering Victims Are Sought
<lst>In late September and on Nov. 5, several areas of Centreville were hit with vehicle tamperings. The suspect entered unlocked cars and took change, CDs, electronics and anything else of value left inside the vehicles. He did not take stereos.
Police at the Sully District Station have recovered some of this property, but have no reports to match it with its rightful owners. Therefore, they're currently looking for any victims who did not report the tamperings to police.
The neighborhoods hit with tamperings were: Asher View, Lakeside Apartments, Sanderling Condominiums, Upper Ridge/Gabrielle Way, Brenham Drive/Honnicut Drive, Field Encampment/Silo Valley, Uniform Drive/Canteen Court, Drill Field Court/Flagg Staff Court, and Glade Spring Drive/Meadow Glade.
Anyone who believes he or she was a victim of these crimes — or knows of someone else who may have been victimized — is urged to contact Det. Lincoln Kieffer of the Sully District Criminal Investigations Section at 703-814-7026.
<sh>Improvements at E.C. Lawrence
<lst>The Fairfax County Park Authority began improvements at E.C. Lawrence Park in December. Improvements totaling more than $533,000 will be made to fields at this 660-acre park. They follow the recent installation of an artificial turf, bleachers, players' benches and an asphalt trail.
<sh>Sully Historic Site Is In Virginia Civil War Trails
<lst>The Sully Historic Site was recently included in the Virginia Civil War Trails program. It's a statewide initiative to raise awareness and understanding of Virginia's Civil War experience by bringing together many previously unconnected Civil War locations. Located at 3601 Sully Road in Chantilly, Sully Historic Site is just off Route 28. For more information, call 703-437-1794.
<sh>Blood Donations are Sought
<lst>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.