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Prince William County police: suspect stole tires, rims from dealership lot

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Forget stealing cars. A suspect in Northern Virginia was only targeting wheels.

Prince William County police say they are searching for the person or persons who made off with 36 tires and 36 chrome rims from vehicles parked on a GMC dealership lot in Manassas.

The theft happened sometime between Sunday evening and Monday morning, when it was reported.

The rims and wheels were worth about $45,000.


Sulaimon Brown says Trek bike stolen during meeting with FBI

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First, Sulaimon Brown lost his job. Now, he says, he's lost his bike.

Brown, the former mayoral candidate and current mayoral pain in the ass, says his black Trek bicycle was stolen from a downtown bike rack when he was meeting with the FBI earlier this week. The lock that had secured the bike is also missing, Brown says.

"I was on my way to the appointment and I locked my bike on one of those little metal things on the street, across the street," Brown says, "and when I came out the bike was gone."

Brown has said he met with FBI agents who are investigating allegations he's made about Mayor Vince Gray's campaign.

Brown was recently fired from $110,000-a-year gig at the D.C. Department of Health Care Finance, and now says he was promised a job and given cash payments from Gray's campaign. Gray has denied the allegations.

As for the hybrid bike, Brown says he hasn't yet filed a police report. He says it was worth about $1,800, purchased several months ago, and was used to commute to and from work.

"It was a very good bike," Brown says.

D.C. area crime watch: Brown's bike stolen

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Happy Thursday, Washington. Did y'all see that that Snoop from "The Wire" was arrested in a Baltimore drug bust?

Your Thursday Blotter Blotter begins after the jump.

State Lines

• Known TBD hater Sulaimon Brown says his bike was stolen during a meeting with the FBI earlier this week. Things keep getting worse and worse for the former mayoral candidate, who lost his job, cried at a news conference and is now bike-less. That's a tough run of bad luck there, Sulaimon.

Brown says that his Trek hybrid was locked on a downtown bike rack during the meeting. It was black. If you stole this bike, please contact TBD Justice. And then give it back, we guess. (TBD Justice)

• DNA evidence links a 49-year-old man to a New Year's Day fatal stabbing at  Suburban Hospital, reports the Washington Post.

Keith Little, of Lanham, has been arrested in connection to the death of Roosevelt Brockington Jr., who was his supervisor at the hospital. DNA was reportedly found on a glove that authorities believe Brockington's killer was wearing. (Washington Post)

Here are the mug shots of the East Coast Rapist. The pictures are the first images of Aaron Thomas that authorities have released.

Investigators have connected the 39-year-old Thomas to more than a dozen rape cases and are still searching for more victims. (Insidenova.com)

All Points

• Authorities say New England Patriots safety Brandon Meriweather was present when two men were shot in Florida late last month. (Orlando Sentinel)

• Oh good, this outburst at a Burger King was caught on video. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

• In the battle between a giant Gopher and a math professor ... OK there are no winners here. (Star Tribune)

D.C. area crime watch: Today in Sulaimon Brown news

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Happy Monday, Washington. Who wants to give your TBD Justice reporter a ticket to the Mizzou game this week? No one? FINE.

On to Blotter Blotter, after the jump.

State Lines

• Hey, guess who is already in the news this week? It's our old friend Sulaimon Brown, D.C. Mayor Vince Gray's worst nightmare! And he keeps getting better and better.

When we left our hero, he was telling TBD about that time his bike got stolen during a meeting with the FBI. Could happen to anyone, right? WELL. Now WUSA says Brown went to trial to face an attempted murder charge in Illinois. Yikes. That is significantly more serious than a stolen Trek. He was acquitted by a jury. (WUSA)

• Authorities are offering a reward for information on a homicide and sexual assault that occurred at a Bethesda, Md., athletic apperal store.

Jayna Murray, 30, of Arlington, Va., was killed in the upscale Lululemon Athletica store on Friday night, authorities say. Her 27-year-old co-worker was reportedly sexually assaulted. She's expected to be released from a local hospital today.

A press conference about the case is scheduled for Monday afternoon. (AP, ABC7)

• A Guardian Angel (in training) got punched in the face on Saturday. (WTOP)

• Authorities believe a husband-and-wife team is behind several burglaries in Maryland.

Investigators have arrested 28-year-old Edward James Johnson and his wife, 27-year-old Robin Renee Johnson, in connection to the burglaries, which were reported in Marriotsville, West Friendship, and Cooksville.

The couple resides in Sykesville. (Washington Post Crime Scene blog)

All Points

• Madonna has an (alleged) stalker. (New York Daily News)

• Oh, this is fantastic. (Reuters)

Police: Maryland driver backed into unmarked cruiser after ramming other car

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OK. Brian Christopher Head can blame part of his arrest on himself. After all, authorities say, he was the one who struck a car with his Ford truck and rammed it into a utility pole.

But Head also allegedly backed into another vehicle, which happened to be an unmarked police car. That's just bad luck.

According to the Frederick Police Department, an officer in an unmarked patrol car noticed the Ford truck early Sunday morning. Sgt. Matthew Burns unsuccessfully tried to stop the truck, but couldn't catch it until he arrived at an intersection.

At the intersection he saw that the truck had collided with a Volkswagen. That's when the driver of the truck put it in reverse, backed into Burns' cruiser and came to a stop "resting atop" the car, according to a news release.

Head, the truck's driver, was then arrested. He faces several charges.

Authorities believe a fight in the parking lot of a local bar sparked the incident. Head is accused of ramming the VW and pushing it into a pole, and possibly trying to hit the occupants a second time after they fled the car.

"It is not believed that the driver of the Ford was aware that Sgt. Burns had arrived on the scene nor that he intentionally struck the police vehicle," the release states.

The Jack Johnson Case: A refresher on Prince George's County corruption

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Former Prince George's County executive Jack Johnson is due in court Tuesday, where he's scheduled to be arraigned on federal charges.

We're sure you all remember Johnson's memorable exchange with his wife, Leslie, during their arrest, but in case you've forgotten the other details of this case, a refresher is after the jump.

Who

• Jack Johnson is the former Prince George's County executive. He and his wife Leslie, a Prince George's Council member, were both caught in a federal corruption probe last year.

An indictment alleges that Jack Johnson took bribes from a local liquor store owner and developers. A federal probe of the alleged pay-to-play took years to complete.

What

• According to the indictment, investigators believe Jack Johnson accepted thousands of dollars in bribes. In exchange, he helped the developers secure federal grant funding.

The indictment indicates that the Johnson arrests were part of a larger probe of the county's government.

When

• Jack Johnson and his wife, Leslie, were arrested in November, accused of tampering with and destroying evidence.

Leslie Johnson was found with thousands of dollars stuffed in her undergarments when she was searched by FBI agents. Authorities also believe she flushed a $100,000 check before they entered the Johnson home in Mitchellville.

What's Happened Since the Arrest
• Leslie Johnson has repeatedly asked a judge to reschedule a preliminary hearing in her case. Earlier this month, she said needed more time to investigate the allegations.

• Jack Johnson was indicted earlier this year.

• According to the Washington Post, the son of Jack and Leslie Johnson, Jack B. Johnson Jr., landed a job in the county's government. Go figure.

Quoteworthy

Who are we kidding. It was all gold. Why pick just one quote? Here's a transcript of the good stuff.

DUI checkpoint planned for St. Patrick's Day in College Park

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Are you going out on St. Patrick’s Day? Please don't drive. Just ... don't.

If you must, though, you should know that a DUI checkpoint will be in place in College Park on Thursday, according to a news release. You've been warned.

Here's some other ways to get home, in case you find yourself in need of a safe ride:

Sober Ride: 1-800-200-TAXI (8294)

Nite Ride: 301-405-NITE (6483)

University of Maryland police escort (walking version): 301-405-3555

D.C. area crime watch

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Jack Johnson was in court today, Washington!

No, not singer/songwriter Jack Johnson! That guy's still singing/songwriting. This was our old friend from Prince George's County, who told his wife to stuff thousands of dollars in her bra. Still funny.

ANYWAY. On to the Tuesday Blotter Blotter, after the jump.

State Lines

• A man who authorities suspect is the East Coast Rapist was indicted in Loudoun County on Tuesday.

Investigators think 39-year-old Aaron H. Thomas was responsible for more than a dozen rapes on the East Coast. They are still searching for possible victims. (Associated Press)

• A body was found in the trunk of a car that was impounded in Prince George's County.

The remains were sent to Baltimore, where a cause of death will be determined by a medical examiner, the Gazette reports. The discovery was made Monday afternoon. (The Gazette)

• The reward for information about a homicide at a high-end Bethesda athletic apparel store has grown to more than $100,000.

Killed in the Friday night incident at lululemon athletica was 30-year-old Jayna Murray, of Arlington, Va. Police say one of Murray's coworkers was also attacked. (ABC7)

All Points

• A Brooklyn man accused of killing four people told authorities that he had a "doozy of a day." (Associated Press)

• From our friends in Florida: "Sex-Toy Stealing Marathon Man Arrested When Ex Turns in Box of Dildos" (Miami New Times)


BEHOLD THE NEW MPD EVIDENCE WAREHOUSE! (photos)

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The Metropolitan Police Department will soon be opening it's new evidence warehouse, a 30,000-square-foot facility that is supposed to revolutionize the art of keeping stuff in boxes.

Think Flintstones to Jestons here. Goodbye, old-school ledgers, hello bar codes. Adios, poor work conditions for employees. Goodbye, concerns about missing evidence. Well, the jury's still out on that last one we guess, but MPD is hopeful this new system and new building are a step in the right direction.

"Look at it," D.C. police chief Cathy Lanier says. "It's almost impossible to lose track of items now, once they get to work here."

Police allowed TBD Justice and her media friends to tour the warehouse Tuesday. Here's what we found.

ARTWORK OUTSIDE EVIDENCE WAREHOUSE SORTA LOOKS LIKE EVIDENCE

mpd art guns

OK, not from far away. But get up close, and look. Guns!

GUNS

 

SHELVES INSIDE EVIDENCE WAREHOUSE SORTA LOOK LIKE IKEA

SHELVES

 "Except better," Lanier says. She's probably wrong here. No Swedish meatballs.

 

BAR CODES BAR CODES BAR CODES

WEIGHT

The first stop for evidence collected by MPD is the Cubiscan 150, which will weigh the item. It'll also get a bar code here, which will tell the officer where it should be stored. That bar code can be used to track the item as it moves around the judicial system.

 

MACHINES MACHINES MACHINES

ROBOTS

Some of the evidence MPD collects will be stored in these shelves, which move to make the most of the space. In case you were wondering, people cannot be trapped in the moving shelves.

"It will not close with a person inside of the area," Lanier says.

Good to know.

MORE ROBOTS

Another safety precaution is that line you might notice on the floor of the warehouse in the first shelf picture here. Once the lift hits that line, it won't stray from its intended path. Cool, right?

 

THIS IS WHERE THE DNA EVIDENCE GOES

DNAFRIDGE

 

THIS IS WHERE THE DRUGS GO

DRUG ROOM

 

THIS WAS THE BEST PART OF THE TOUR

Candy in PCP fridge

 

Lanier opened this fridge in the drug room, which will normally be used to store drugs like PCP (I think) and there was a bag of M&M's in there. Who leaves M&M's in a drug fridge?

THIS IS WHERE THE VALUABLES GO

Valuables room

Lanier says MPD used to keep actual money in its evidence warehouse, but that practice has changed. Now this room just will be used to store valuables, she says. It is across from that drug room with the PCP fridge.

AND NOW WE END OUR TOUR

MPD evidence warehouse goodbye

Thanks for letting us visit! Next time can we ride that evidence lift?

A moooo-done it? Cattle missing from Virginia stockyard

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As it turns out, cattle rustling might be alive and well in Virginia, where 16 cows went missing from a Bedford County stockyard. The cows — beef cows, milk cows, and a calf — went missing over the weekend, reports the Washington Post.

Authorities are investigating. TBD has left a message with a deputy in Bedford County and will update this post if we hear back.

If the cows were stolen, though, it wouldn't exactly be that outrageous. Cattle rustling (or as I like to call it, cattle rustlin') apparently survived the Wild West era and became one of those Great Recession crimes you hear about these days, like stealing urns for copper.

A 2009 New York Times story found dozens of cows had been reported stolen in Missouri. Two hundred cows were stolen from an auction market in South Dakota, and cattle theft was also reportedly on the rise in Wyoming.

“It’s a big spike,” Greene County Sheriff Jim Arnott told the Times. “Usually we’ll go a year or two with no thefts, but it’s really picked up. In these economic times people are taking desperate measures, whether it’s stealing, or whether they’re trying to come up with money through insurance fraud.”

More examples of cattle crime are after the jump.

CATTLE RUSTLING TOTALLY MAKING A COMEBACK, SAYS L.A. TIMES ARTICLE

Rick Wahlert, of the International Livestock Identification Association, told the Times in 2009 that though no national stats can back a claim of an uptick in the crime, some of the member states of his organization were seeing an increase.

"They're half cowboys, so they know how to talk the talk and walk the walk and all that stuff. And they know how to work cattle and load 'em up," investigator Troy McKinney told the Times. "But a true cowboy wouldn't steal."

FROM 2007 TO 2008, CATTLE THEFTS INCREASED IN CATTLE-FRIENDLY STATE OF TEXAS

"When people think cattle rustling they think John Wayne," Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association spokeswoman Carmen Fenton told Reuters. "But it's not like that. Cattle thieves are sophisticated and technologically savvy. They know the law and the penal law. They have a truck and a trailer. They take the cattle to the market and sell them for market value that day."

GUY IN COWBOY HAT SAYS CATTLE RUSTLERS ARE ALSO STEALING CATTLE-RELATED GOODS

"They just don't steal cattle," investigator John Suther, who was described in a 2007 San Francisco Chronicle story as wearing a "a custom-made white cowboy hat from Greeley Hat Works in Colorado." "They steal feed, medicine. I've seen them build their corrals out of railroad ties they steal from the railroad company. It's all pure profit."

D.C. area crime watch

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Happy Wednesday, Washington. Did you see the photos from MPD's new evidence warehouse yet? Don't miss the one with the candy!

Your Blotter Blotter begins after the jump.

State Lines

• A Montgomery County police officer has been charged with fraud and conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

Authorities believe Montgomery County Police officer Delores Culmer, 37, used law enforcement computer systems to help an alleged drug trafficker.

U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said in a statement that investigators didn't think other officers were involved in the scheme. (TBD)

• Police are calling the death of a D.C. lobbyist who was the wife of a White House aide an accident.

Ashley Turton died in January during an incident in the garage of her Capitol Hill home.

Police say that Turton, who was intoxicated at the time of the crash, lost consciousness and her BMW rolled into a workbench. She didn't wake up when the fire started. (WTOP)

• A jury has awarded $11.5 million to the family of a man who was killed in a police-involved shooting shooting in Prince George's County.

Manuel de Jesus Espina was killed in 2008 by Cpl. Steven Jackson, who was working a security officer at the time. The jury found that Jackson's actions weren't in self defense. (Washington Post)

All Points

• Cocaine at the Nerd Central! (Florida Today)

• Dudes rob the Chicken Shack, then immediately get busted in Chicken Shack T-shirts. Brilliant criminal minds. (UPI)

Montgomery County police search for missing teens

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Authorities in Montgomery County say they are searching for two teenage girls who haven't been seen for days.

Nabintu Mulegwa and Katelynn Crevoisier were last seen Sunday night, according to a news release. Mulegwa, 12, and Crevoisier, 15, didn't return to their White Oak homes that evening.

Mulegwa is 5 feet 5 inches tall. She has red highlights in her black hair and has brown eyes. Crevoisier is 5 feet 7 inches tall, and has blonde hair and hazel eyes. She has one mole behind her right ear and another on her lip.

Pictures of Crevoisier and Mulegwa are below.

Mulegwa

nabintu_mulegwa

Crevoisier

katelynn_crevoisier

Albert Haynesworth: Still not charged in W Hotel sexual abuse case

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TBD Justice will admit the last few weeks have been a turbluent time in her life. The frosty bite of February gave way to the slightly improved chill of March. The TIME changed. Oh, and like half her coworkers left.

Through it all, though, there has been one constant: Albert Haynesworth.

Did you hear the news about Haynesworth? No? That's because there is no news in the Haynesworth sexual abuse case, which first surfaced last month.

In case you need a refresher, Haynesworth was accused of inappropriately touching a waitress during an early morning incident at the W Hotel. Well, OK, a police report didn't include his name, but sources had confirmed to NBC4 that he was the suspect. Fast forward a few weeks, and here we are, with the allegations still looming and no arrest.

TBD has diligently checked in with the U.S. Attorney’s Office almost daily to make sure no formal charges have been filed yet. The lack of charges is not an indication of Haynesworth's guilt or innocence. It just means this is an ongoing matter.

It should also probably be noted that not every complaint filed with police will result in prosecution. For example, former NFL player Warren Sapp was accused of choking and pushing a woman in a South Beach hotel during Super Bowl week in 2010. He was yanked from the NFL Network broadcast, but authorities later declined to file charges.

So there you go. TBD looks forward to e-mailing U.S. Attorney's office spokesman Bill Miller tomorrow morning to ask the same question we've asked for weeks now. We'll keep you posted if anything changes. In the meantime, a quick check of Virginia court records indicates that Haynesworth's road rage case is still moving forward, in case you really need a legal update about this guy.

D.C. area crime watch

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It's Thursday, you guys! This is actually TBD Justice's Friday because she is going to Other Larimer's wedding in Real America this weekend. There will be no Blotter Blotter on Friday. Our apologies.

Thursday's edition starts after the jump.

State Lines

• Thirteen gang members from two rival Southeast Washington crews have been indicted.

Police arrested eight suspects earlier this week, reports ABC7. Authorities believe members of the rival crews participated in shootings in the Benning Terrace area. (ABC7)

• Authorities in Montgomery County are searching for two missing teenagers. The girls, ages 12 and 15, were last seen earlier this week. (TBD Justice)

• A jury says a man convicted of murdering a 29-year-old Fairfax County woman in 2008 should be put to death.

Mark Lawlor was convicted earlier this week. He was accused of bludgeoning Genevieve Orange to death in her apartment.

Lawlor is scheduled to be sentenced in June. (Washington Post)

• Of the roughly 2,000 people arrested on Metro last year, more than 500 of them were teens, Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn told WAMU.

Oh, and putting videos of Metro fights online isn't helping things, he says.

"That's a trend," Taborn told WAMU. "That's a trend that you find with the young people and now with the people wanting to download and upload and put things out, that's what happens." (WAMU)

All Points

• Kudos to you, guy who writes headlines at WYFF4.com. (WYFF)

• I've only been out of Miami a few months, but I'd seriously almost forgotten about Miami Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones! How could that happen?! (Miami Herald)

Brittany Norwood's former teammates speak out on Lululemon homicide suspect

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Kellie Bedient spent only about a year playing high school soccer with Brittany Norwood, the 28-year-old woman now accused of the brutal murder of a co-worker. Bedient says she doesn't remember much about Norwood, who went on to play soccer in college, but called her arrest heartbreaking.

"I don't remember anything about her except that she was smiley and nice," Bedient wrote in a Facebook message. "but a lot can change in a person in 16 years."

Authorities now believe the girl that Bedient shared a soccer field with years ago attacked 30-year-old Jayna Murray at a Lululemon Atheltica store in Bethesda earlier this month. Her old teammates have shared conflicting stories about the former defender. Some remember a liar and a thief. Then there are others who say the native of Federal Way, Wash., came from a strong family and was a good friend.

"I don't recall a ton of memories [because] it was about 15 years ago," former teammate Rachel Rodrick wrote in a message to TBD, "just that she was a good friend, really nice person and had a really nice family too."

Other accounts haven't been so flattering. Megan Healey, who played for Stony Brook with Norwood, told ABC7 that she didn't have the best reputation on the team. Healey says some thought Norwood was a "liar and a thief," and said she was warned about her behavior.

"Other girls on the team that had known her longer than me had told me things like ‘watch your locker, keep it locked, she's been known to steal things,’" Healey told ABC7.

Another Stony Brook teammate, Leanna Yust, told the Washington Post that Norwood swiped money and a shirt from her, and her actions ruined their friendship.

“She was my best friend in college. We had a falling-out because the girl was like a klepto,” Yust told the Post.

Norwood is currently being held without bond and faces a first-degree murder charge. She's accused of beating Murray's head so many times that authorities weren't able to tally the blows. Police believe Norwood then staged a crime scene to make herself appear to be a second victim.

"Out of respect for the Norwood family I'd like to refrain from commenting on Brittany other than that she comes from a warm, loving, generous, well educated and successful family and that this news is probably coming as a shock to them as well as to anyone who knows Brittany," another former teammate, Kim Gordon, wrote in an email. "This is truly a sad and devastating story and my heart goes out to all families involved."


D.C. area crime watch

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While TBD Justice was at Other Larimer's wedding this weekend, one of the victims in the Lululemon murder became the suspect. Charged in connection with the death of Jayna Murray is 28-year-old Brittany Norwood, who is being held without bond. But you probably knew that already.

Your Tuesday Blotter Blotter continues after the jump.

State Lines

• Authorities are trying to figure out whether two homicides in Montgomery County are connected.

Punyasara W. Palkumbure Gedara, 41, was fatally shot Monday afternoon, about six months after reportedly he came to the United States from Sri Lanka.The other victim, Nazir Ahmed, was found dead Friday. He had also been shot. (ABC7)

• Might want to hide your fake pot after reading the Washington Post report about how District police are cracking down on K2 or Spice.

Businesses in Adams Morgan and Anacostia have recently been notified by narcotics investigators, according to the Post. The officers are informing the businesses that their assets could be forfeited or sold. (Washington Post)

• A 12-year-old in Takoma Park mistakenly thought a sprinting man was a child abductor. Turns out he was a newspaper deliveryman.

Whoops. Sorry about that, guy who was just delivering papers, NOT abducting children. (The Gazette)

• Police are looking for a tow truck that was stolen from Ward's Towing in Woodbridge. You'd think this would be easier, because ... it's a tow truck, but it turns out a few days have gone by and authorities still haven't recovered the vehicle.

The missing tow truck has a "Ward’s Truck Center" logo and personalized tags.

"I was shocked — people don’t just steal a tow truck," Chrissy Ward, the wife of one of the owners of Ward's Towing, said in a report on insidenova.com (insidenova.com)

All Points

• Guy arrested on DWI charge brings beer to DWI hearing. Of course. (Times Herald-Record)

• A 21-year-old linebacker for the Miami Hurricanes is facing felony charges. Ramon Buchanan has been suspended. (South Florida Sun Sentinel)

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