Wednesday, September 2WATCHFUL EYE

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VSP launching special operation on Interstate 66 for Super Bowl weekend
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VSP launching special operation on Interstate 66 for Super Bowl weekend

Drivers be advised, this weekend Virginia State Police are launching a traffic enforcement operation on Interstate 66 targeting those they consider to be risky drivers. VSP has issued advanced warning that people should line up their designated drivers for the Super Bowl. Over the next few days, troopers will not only be out on I-66, they'll be out in numbers. “The weekend of the Super Bowl is an excellent time to tackle bad driving behaviors,” said Lt. Col. Matt Hanley, director of the Virginia State Police Bureau of Field Operations. According to VSP, troopers from the Fairfax and Culpeper Divisions are going to partner on Operation DISS-rupt, which will run from February 10-12 and will cover all 76 miles of Interstate 66. This joint effort will target “the four key causes of...
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With SB 231, Virginians will spend millions on immigrant healthcare
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With SB 231, Virginians will spend millions on immigrant healthcare

A bill is making its way through the Virginia Senate calling for taxpayers to spend millions of dollars a year providing health insurance to immigrants under age 19 who can’t qualify for federal benefits because of their immigration status. This proposed program, known as the “Cover All Kids Act” was presented in SB 231 by Senator Ghazala Hashmi. Last week, when the bill was before the Education and Health Subcommittee, Senator Barbara Favola said, “What this bill does essentially is it creates a health insurance program for individuals who, because of immigration status, are not eligible under federal law to participate in Medicaid.” She later added that, by law, Medicaid, already covers any emergency care needed by those who are not insured. Nonetheless, she said there has been ...
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Same 2 teens charged in Stafford & Fredericksburg armed robberies
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Same 2 teens charged in Stafford & Fredericksburg armed robberies

Stafford County Sheriff’s Office announced that two juveniles are being held in the Rappahannock Juvenile Detention Center after police obtained evidence linking them to two armed robberies One set of charges for the teens is for an armed robbery at the Red Apple Tobacco at 432 Garrisonville Rd. in Stafford. The incident occurred on November 17, 2023, at around 5 p.m. According to SCSO two males entered the business wearing masks and carrying backpacks. “One of the suspects displayed a firearm, holding the clerk at gunpoint, and demanded cash from the register. Both suspects fled on foot with cash and assorted vapes.” At the time, SCSO said they went into the woods headed towards Barrett Heights. Police established a perimeter around the area, had drone and K9 searches, but couldn...
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Leesburg PD release video, ask for tips amid string of vehicle break-ins
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Leesburg PD release video, ask for tips amid string of vehicle break-ins

Leesburg Police Department released a video compilation after a string of successful and attempted motor vehicle break-ins. According to LPD, detectives are investigating 26 incidents that occurred in the northeast part of town, all in the early hours of Tuesday, February 6. Suspects were able to get into 14 of the vehicles, and the items stolen include, a handgun, money, wallet, purse, credit cards, and gift cards, reported LPD. LPD said incidents were reported in the following locations: Artillery Terrace, NE Balls Bluff Road, NE Barksdale Drive, NE Bugle Court, NE Burt Court, NE Cambria Terrace, NE Chickasaw Place, NE Featherstone Lane, NE Haversack Court, NE Hunton Place, NE Keokuk Terrace, NE Shanks Evans Road, NE Stonefield Square, NE ...
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VA Beach ‘leader’ of meth ring confesses, takes a plea, gets 30 years
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VA Beach ‘leader’ of meth ring confesses, takes a plea, gets 30 years

This article contains a link that will provide financial benefits for the Watchful Eye if a purchase is made. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) describes 47-year-old Malik Dillard of Virginia Beach as a “leader” of a multi-year, multi-state meth distribution conspiracy. Federal court documents show Dillard aka “Mayo” admitted to being involved in the meth trade from at least Sept 2021 to February 2023 along with co-conspirators Sebastian Balthazar and Richard Olask-Finn. Dillard admitted he was receiving wholesale quantities of drugs from out-of-state sources and received, stored, and processed meth and other controlled substances at residences in Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Suffolk, and Norfolk. He also conceded that he supplied meth to at least five p...
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Portsmouth’s new camera leads to arrest of man wanted in 4 cities
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Portsmouth’s new camera leads to arrest of man wanted in 4 cities

Portsmouth Police Department reported that one of its new cameras caught a drug deal, and one of the people in that deal was wanted in four cities plus wanted by the Department of Corrections. Detectives in the Special Investigations Unit reportedly saw 35-year-old Keeshawn Faltz “delivering narcotics to a street level drug dealer,” who wasn’t identified. According PPD, the detectives discovered Faltz was wanted and put an alert into the Flock LPR system for the vehicle he was driving. On February 1, numerous units of PPD launched an operation “targeting street level narcotics distribution and wanted subjects.” Officers saw the Flock alert for Faltz’ vehicle, and PPD said that vehicle was spotted downtown at a hotel in the 300 block of Effingham Street. No one was inside so officers ...
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Alexandria PD still hunting for suspect in alley incident, urging public to help
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Alexandria PD still hunting for suspect in alley incident, urging public to help

Days after a woman reported that a man tried to sexually assault her off of Main Line Boulevard, Alexandria PD is still looking for the suspect and urging the public to provide any video, audio, photographs, or other digital evidence. According APD, on Sunday, February 4, officers arrived at the 2200 block of Main Line Boulevard at about midnight. They encountered a woman who claimed she was walking down an alleyway when an unknown man tried to sexually assault her. Police officers established a perimeter near the scene. One of the officers saw and was involved in a foot chase with a man believed to be the suspect. But he escaped, APD reported. Due to "the seriousness of this crime," a heavy police presence was established in the area that included officers from other jurisdic...
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Another warning of potential measles exposure in Northern Virginia after 2nd case
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Another warning of potential measles exposure in Northern Virginia after 2nd case

For the second time in less than a month, the public is being warned about potential measles exposure in northern Virginia. Maryland health authorities announced there is a positive case of measles in Montgomery County. The infected person is a someone who recently traveled internationally. The groups at risk of potential exposure related to that individual include anyone who was at Washington Dulles International Airport in the International Terminal on January 27 between 6 – 9:30 a.m., health authorities say. As a result, Alexandria Health Department has also issued an advisory about this measles case and the potential of exposure in northern Virginia. Early symptoms of measles are a fever of more than 101 degrees Fahrenheit, runny nose, cough, and red, watery eyes. Usual...
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Manassas man ejected, killed in I-81 crash in Shenandoah
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Manassas man ejected, killed in I-81 crash in Shenandoah

A two-vehicle accident on I-81 in Shenandoah County proved fatal for an ejected passenger. The incident occurred Monday, January 29, at 6 p.m. at the 289 mile marker, Virginia State Police reported. A 2015 Ford F350 experienced a driver’s side blowout, which caused the truck to run off the right side of the road, flip, and hit the guardrail. Wilson R. Acosta Zelaya, a 21-year-old of Springfield, was in the backseat and was not wearing a seatbelt, VSP stated. He was thrown from the vehicle into roadway and was hit by a Kenworth tractor-trailer. He died at the scene, VSP reported. The driver of the Ford, Pedro Lemus Mendoza, a 49-year-old Manassas man, sustained minor injuries and was transported to Winchester Medical Center for treatment, VSP reported. Two other adult passengers we...
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Crash & fire caused shutdown on Rt. 288 in Chesterfield
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Crash & fire caused shutdown on Rt. 288 in Chesterfield

Traffic delays around midday on Rt. 288 South in Chesterfield were caused by a crash near Watkins Center Parkway that sparked a fire and shut down all of the travel lanes. Around 11:30 a.m. a tractor-trailer and an SUV collided and a power line was hit, according to Virginia State Police. The toppled pole left power lines in the highway. Chesterfield Fire and EMS reported that one car got tangled in the power lines and an individual inside required assistance getting out. No one was injured, and there were no reports of any vehicles catching on fire. However, the powerlines sparked a brush fire that burned about 2 acres along the highway, stated Chesterfield Fire and EMS, which was assisted by Powhatan County Fire and Rescue. Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze, and the...
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