Fairfax County police logo (file photo)

Fairfax County police arrested a man yesterday (Thursday) for allegedly touching a 6-year-old child inappropriately at a playground in West Falls Church.

Officers were called to the Kingsley Commons Townhouses in the 7300 block of Arlington Blvd shortly after 7 p.m. in response to a report that a man “unlawfully touched” a child.

“Patrol officers were able to quickly locate the man and take him into custody,” the Fairfax County Police Department said today (Friday) in a press release.

Police say Victor Villalobos, a 47-year-old man from Merrifield, has been charged with aggravated sexual battery of a juvenile under the age of 13. He was taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, where he’s being held without bond.

“Detectives are urging anyone who may have had unlawful contact with Villalobos or has information about this case to contact our Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 4, and share any information they may have,” the FCPD said.


News

The owner and founder of The Fermented Pig, a beloved mainstay at local farmers’ markets, has died.

Josh Plante died unexpectedly on Wednesday, June 12, the artisanal meat supplier announced a day later on social media. Most of The Fermented Pig’s operations, including the recently opened Merrifield retail store, have closed “until further notice.”


News

Construction will begin this month on a facelift and amenity upgrades at the Pan Am Shopping Center in Merrifield, property owner and developer Federal Realty announced today (Thursday).

Scheduled to start in late June and finish by the end of this year, the renovation will “refresh and modernize” the 228,000-square-foot shopping center at 3089 Nutley Street SW, according to a press release.


News

Men arrested last fall in connection to two separate killings were both indicted on murder charges by grand juries today (Monday), the Office of the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney has announced.

Rami El-Sayed, a 34-year-old Vienna resident, per court records, faces a second-degree murder charge for allegedly killing Cara Abbruscato, a 40-year-old Fairfax resident who was found dead in Burke Lake Park’s campgrounds on Sept. 30, 2023.


News

Inova Health System appears to be narrowing its vision for the former ExxonMobil headquarters site in Merrifield to health care.

The nonprofit has “no immediate intention” of pursuing previously approved plans to turn the 117-acre campus at 8095 Innovation Park Drive into a mixed-use development, Inova President and CEO Dr. Stephen Jones recently told the Washington Business Journal.


Around Town

The Mosaic District will celebrate an unusually long cherry blossom season this weekend with the return of its annual Art Blooms festival.

Organized in partnership with the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the two-day event will bring artisan and farmers’ markets, live entertainment and family-friendly activities to the Merrifield neighborhood from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday (April 6-7).


Countywide

Inova Health Systems is working to boost the capacity of its emergency room in Merrifield with the help of a $10 million gift from the co-founder of an international IT consulting firm.

The nonprofit announced last Thursday (March 21) that it received the planned gift commitment from Apex Systems co-founder Win Sheridan. The money will go to Inova’s Greatest Needs fund, which is administered by its CEO to support “critical projects and initiatives.”


News

(Updated at 11:20 a.m.) A boy was taken to the hospital yesterday (Sunday) after a crash near Inova Fairfax Hospital.

The Fairfax County Police Department reported at 6:32 p.m. that officers were on scene of a crash involving a sedan and a bus on Gallows Road at Anderson Road in Merrifield.


News

The University of Virginia is expanding its presence in Fairfax County.

The Charlottesville-based institution will add a new site for its Northern Virginia campus next year in Merrifield, where it has leased 55,000 square feet at the Inova Center for Personalized Health (8095 Innovation Park Drive), the Washington Business Journal reported last week.


Around Town

Merrifield will welcome a new kids’ clothing store next month, just in time for parents to update their little ones’ wardrobes for the spring.

The Beaufort Bonnet Company will open its first retail store in the D.C. area on March 2 at 2920 District Avenue, Suite 143, in the Mosaic District.


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