Police Briefs: Feb. 10 paper

Anyone with information regarding Stafford offenses is encouraged to call the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office at (540)658-4400 or Crime Solvers at (540) 659-2020. For Fredericksburg offenses call (540) 373-3122.

Woodbridge man charged with taking deputy’s Taser, resisting arrest
WOODBRIDGE — A Woodbridge man faces a slew of charges in Stafford County after authorities said he grabbed a deputy’s Taser and ran with it on Monday night.
A deputy responded in the area of Bismark and Rye Creek drives in North Stafford at 8:50 p.m. after a resident in the area noted flashlights and loud noises in the area, according to Stafford County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Bill Kennedy. The caller also believed the culprits might be stealing items from vacant and under-construction homes nearby.
The deputy saw a truck, reportedly occupied by Dany Hernandez, driving on nearby Naples Road with “a large amount” of copper tubing and construction tools in its bed, Kennedy said.
Authorities followed the truck to the 3000 block of Jefferson Davis Highway, near its intersection with Interstate 95, and stopped the truck. Hernandez, and four other men, reportedly ran out of the stopped truck, deputies said. The deputy chased Hernandez into the woods.
He was Tasered after he refused to comply with deputies, Kennedy said, but the heavy layers of clothing he was wearing made the weapon ineffective in subduing him, according to deputies.
Hernandez got on the deputy’s back, grabbed the Taser, and then took off with it into nearby woods. The man dropped the Taser after he saw the deputy following him, authorities said.
A Fairfax County police helicopter and Stafford canine units were called in, and Hernandez was found hiding in the woods behind Aquia Pines Campground.
Hernandez, 26, of Florida Ave., was charged with assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, disarming a Taser from a law enforcement officer, grand larceny, conspiracy to commit grand larceny, larceny with intent to sell, conspiracy to commit larceny with intent to sell, and vandalism, Kennedy said.
He was held without bond, and has a court date of April 5.
Deputies discovered that the items found in the truck bed, valued at $25,000, were reportedly stolen from an unidentified construction company. An employee of the company confirmed with deputies that the items belonged to his employer, Kennedy said.
At press time, deputies were still looking for the other four men involved.

Man charged with robbery, wearing a mask in public

BEREA — Deputies arrested a man for taking money from a donation jar at the Handy Mart at 1186 Warrenton Road on Saturday morning, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies charged Cameron Hunt, 19, of Morningmist Drive in south Stafford, with robbery and wearing a mask in public. He was incarcerated at the Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond.

Hunt allegedly leaned over the counter and grabbed cash from a donation jar. When deputies stopped him they found cash and a mask in his pocket, according to Bill Kennedy, public information officer for the sheriff’s office. 

Police: Woman scammed at Stafford Marketplace

NORTH STAFFORD — Two women conned another woman at Stafford Marketplace on Jan. 31, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office.

One woman stated that she found a wallet with a substantial amount of money in it. She asked the victim if it was hers, police said.

Another woman then approached and suggested that they open it to check for identification.

They found a a note stating that the money had been won at a racetrack.

They decided to split the money, police said.  

The women ultimately convinced the victim that they needed $100 bills to split the money, police said, in addition to the bills’ serial numbers.
They convinced her to wait 20 minutes for someone to bring her money, police said, but no one showed up. She then called the police.

Deputies are looking for two black women, about 5 feet 6 inches tall. One wore a black shirt and pants and each weighed about 135 pounds. The other wore a brown shirt and weighed about 150 pounds, police said.  

Angry bystander breaks juvenile’s nose

FREDERICKSBURG — A woman broke the nose of a truck’s passenger at the Central Park Walmart on Saturday evening, according to the Fredericksburg Police Department.

Police charged Shawnda Bonaparte, 27, of Stafford, with two counts of assault and battery and released her on her own recognizance.

As a woman waited for a parking space another person drove in front of her and took it, police said.
A woman who watched this got out of her truck and confronted the driver of the offending truck. Then she went around to the passenger side of the vehicle and assaulted a 17-year-old girl, striking her several times in the face, police said.

Witnesses separated them and the victim suffered a broken nose.

The woman waiting for the space never got involved, police said. 

Good Samaritans stop suspect at Walmart

FREDERICKSBURG — Three good Samaritans pursued and caught a man after he stole a purse from the shopping cart of another patron at the Central Park Walmart on the night of Feb. 2, according to the Fredericksburg Police Department.

Police charged Timothy Finney, 18, of King George, with grand larceny and incarcerated him in the Rappahannock Regional Jail on a $1,500 bond.

Finney allegedly took the purse as the victim loaded her groceries into her car. A witness called 911 and the three bystanders ran after him. They took him to the ground and detained him until police arrived. 

Man robbed on Canal Street in Fredericksburg

FREDERICKSBURG — Police are looking for a man who robbed another man getting into his truck on Canal Street in Fredericksburg early in the morning on Feb. 1, according to the Fredericksburg Police Department.  

The man pressed a metal object against the victim’s neck and took his wallet and cash, police said.

The suspect wore jeans and a black hoodie and is of unknown race, average height and weight. 



Car windows shot out in Stafford, Fredericksburg, and Spotsylvania

BEREA — Law enforcement agencies from three local jurisdictions were looking for a suspect or suspects Tuesday who shot out windows in numerous vehicles over the weekend, according to the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office.

Three vehicles on Azalea Street and Otto Way in the England Run subdivision were vandalized, police said. Stafford sheriff’s spokesman Bill Kennedy indicated that there were at least 20 incidents in Spotsylvania and several in Fredericksburg from Feb. 1 through the weekend. 

Each window was shot once with probably a BB or pellet gun, said Kennedy.

All three jurisdictions welcome information regarding the incidents.

The Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office can be reached at (540) 507-7200.

Man rescued after getting stuck in marsh
STAFFORD — A 19-year-old man was rescued Saturday after getting stuck for a few hours in a marsh in Aquia Creek near Willow Landing Marina.
The Stafford County Fire and Rescue Department assisted the man, as did a LifeEvac helicopter.
The man was taken to a local hospital for treatment, according to local fire-rescue officials.

— Staff report