The Buckingham Herald Tribblog

Some new graffiti on a couple walls and signs has been noticed by at least a handful of people in the neighborhood, but police are neither seeing a rise in gang related activity nor in graffiti in Buckingham, the police say.

“Some of it [graffiti in Buckingham] has been on there longer than usual,” said Det. R. Ross in the gang unit (many county police officers do not provide a first name). But that is because property owners and renters sometimes get tired of dealing with it. It is the responsibility of the landlord to take care of it, though they can also make arrangements for a tenant to do so.

If a wall gets hit time and again, after awhile, “Some of the restaurant owners just don’t care,” he said. Arlington County removes graffiti on public places—street signs and sidewalks, for instance.

The county’s crime rate rose about 14 percent in 2008 as compared to 2007, with thefts of electronic gadgets from cars leading the way. Shoplifting is over 50 percent higher.

In a statement from the department, Police Chief M. Douglas Scott said, “The economic downturn is certainly a factor in the jump in property crimes in our community.”

Det. Crystal Nosal in the Arlington Police Department said much of the time the cars that are hit are unlocked, often in neighborhoods where people feel safe.

“Literally, [thieves] will go from car to car to car. As you can see on some of these crime reports, they can hit six or seven unlocked cars in a row, because people leave them unlocked,” she recently wrote in an email.

April 9: Larceny from Auto (Series), 4000 block of N. 9th St. Between 5:30p.m. on April 9, and 7a.m. on April 10, an unknown subject broke into at least two vehicles and stole various items. There is no suspect description.

April 10: Attempt to Disarm Police/Drunk in Public (Arrest), 3800 block of Wilson Blvd. At 6p.m., an intoxicated and disorderly male attempted to disarm a police officer of his weapon. Anthony House, 42, of no fixed address was charged with Attempting to Disarm a Law Enforcement Officer, and Drunk in Public. He was held on a $2,500 bond.

April 18: Destruction of Property (Series), 200 block of N. Glebe Road. On April 18 between 1a.m. and 9a.m., an unknown subject damaged at least three vehicles by puncturing a tire on each car. There are no known suspects.

April 18: Robbery, 700 block of N. Oakland Street. At 2a.m., a man approached police and stated that an unknown group of men stole his camera and wallet. The victim was unable to describe the suspects.

April 20: Welfare Fraud (Arrest), 4100 block of N. 3rd Road. Aisha El Amin, 46, of Arlington, was charged with felony Welfare Fraud and Forgery of a Public Record. Ms. El Amin altered documents to obtain housing grants. She was held on a $2,500 bond.

April 18: Abduction (Arrest), 400 block of N. Thomas Street. At noon, a man grabbed a woman who was walking by. He attempted to pull her to his apartment saying that he would pay her for sex. A passerby intervened and called police. Police apprehended the suspect. Mario Saquiche Vasquez, 26, of Arlington, was charged with Abduction with the Intent to Defile. He was held without bond.

April 21: Stolen Auto, 400 block of N. Park Drive. License tag number: VA 3Y1967. The motocycle was a 2004, yellow Suzuki.

April 21: Stolen Auto, 200 block of N. George Mason Drive. License tag number: VA KJG9561. The minivan was a 1993, green Plymouth Voyager.

April 22: Unlawful Entry, 400 block of N. Fillmore St. Between 10p.m. on April 21, and 7:30a.m. on April 22, an unknown subject entered a house under construction and damaged property. There is no suspect description.

Click the icons for more information. Red=Person-to-person crime; Yellow=person-to-structure/vehicle crime; Blue=stolen vehicle; Purple=vehicle-to-vehicle crime; Aqua=miscellaneous. A dot in the icon indicates more than one suspect or victim. Click here to view larger map.

Labels: Crime, Police

// posted by Steve Thurston @ 9:00 AM