A 31-year old man is facing a range of criminal charges in connection with multiple thefts and burglaries from vehicles in the Reston area.
According to the Fairfax County Police Department, detectives in its Criminal Investigations Division began investigating after receiving a tip from a community member who met one of them at a National Night Out event on Aug. 4.
Over 140 neighborhoods hosted events for this year’s National Night Out campaign, which occurs across the country annually on the first Tuesday of August. The initiative is intended to encourage neighborhoods and the police officers who patrol them to build relationships.
“After speaking with a detective at one of the events, a community member later provided video showing a man entering an unlocked vehicle,” the FCPD said in a press release yesterday (Tuesday).
The department says detectives were able to identify the man seen in the video and determined that he was also behind other recent vehicle break-ins reported in the Reston Police District, which spans the northwest corner of the county.
The incidents identified by the FCPD, as of Aug. 20, include:
- Two burglaries from vehicles in the West Market condominium neighborhood (1900 block of Logan Manor Drive) on Aug. 6, one at 4 a.m. and another at 4:19 a.m.
- Theft from a vehicle in the Oak Park at Reston Town Center condos (12000 block of Taliesin Place) on Aug. 14 at 2:35 a.m.
- Burglary from a vehicle and an open garage in the West Market condos (1900 block of Crescent Park Drive) on Aug. 18 at 1 a.m.
The man was arrested by Reston patrol officers on Aug. 18 at around 2 a.m. after they found him behind a building in the 11900 block of Bowman Towne Drive, the FCPD says.
“During the arrest, officers recovered an AR-15-style rifle and magazines among [the man’s] belongings,” the FCPD said. “Detectives determined the firearm had been stolen approximately one hour earlier after [the suspect] entered a vehicle and an open garage in the 1900 block of Crescent Park Drive.”
The man is now facing 18 different charges in connection with the four alleged burglaries and thefts, including:
four counts of Vehicle Trespass, three counts of Burglary, three counts of Grand Larceny, two counts of Vehicle Tampering, two counts of Petit Larceny, two counts of Carrying a Concealed Weapon, Larceny from a Motor Vehicle, and Possession of a Schedule I/II Drug.
According to the FCPD, the man was also subject to five outstanding warrants from another jurisdiction that were served upon his arrest.
Online court records indicate that the man had previously been arrested on July 28 and charged with auto theft and misdemeanor eluding the police for an offense that took place that same day. However, he was released from jail on his own recognizance after an arraignment on July 29.
A preliminary hearing will be held in Fairfax County General District Court on Sept. 29 for the felony auto theft charge, followed by an adjudicatory hearing on Oct. 28 for the eluding charge.
Per the FCPD and court records, the man is now in custody without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center following his arrest on Aug. 18 for the Reston burglaries. He’s scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on those cases on Nov. 16.
“Detectives continue to investigate and additional charges are pending,” the FCPD said.
