Tag: courts
Fairfax County sues owners of burned buildings on Columbia Pike
Fairfax County has filed suit against the owners of the buildings on Columbia Pike in Annandale that had been destroyed by a fire more than a year ago. Meanwhile, the property owner has lined up a demolition contractor, but the work can’t proceed until the gas company confirms the buildings are safe to demolish, according … Continued
MS-13 member sentenced in connection of murder of teen in Lincolnia
A Salvadoran member of the transnational street gang La Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) was sentenced Feb. 28 to 25 years in prison in connection with the kidnapping and murder of an adolescent boy in Holmes Run Stream Valley Park in Lincolnia in 2016, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia reports. Edwin Orellana … Continued
Supreme Court upholds TJ admission policy
The U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 20 let stand an appeals court decision upholding the admissions policy for the elite Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. That decision ends a three-year legal challenge by the Coalition for TJ, a group of parents that claimed the policy unfairly discriminates against high-achieving Asian American students. … Continued
Man who murdered a co-worker over a stolen lunch gets 100 years
Bazen Berhe was sentenced to 100 years for the 2021 murder of a co-worker, Hernan Leiva, in the parking lot of the Skyline Target in Bailey’s Crossroads, the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office announced Jan. 30. At the sentencing hearing, Berhe, 25, of Alexandria, threatened to kill or hurt other people if he was not given the … Continued
New resource center will help people representing themselves in court
A new Self-Help Resource Center at the law library in the Fairfax County courthouse will provide assistance to people who represent themselves in court. The center will be open to the public and will offer resources to anyone interacting with the judicial system as litigants, prospective litigants, witnesses, or who simply have business with the … Continued
Red Flag law saves lives
Since Virginia’s Red Flag law went into effect on July 1, 2020, the Fairfax County Police Department obtained 177 Emergency Substantial Risk Orders (ESROs), the FCPD reports. The Red Flag law allows community members and the police to request the removal of firearms from an individual who poses a serious and immediate threat to themselves … Continued
County officials weigh options after Z-Mod is voided by the state Supreme Court
The Virginia Supreme Court’s ruling last week to throw out Z-Mod is causing a great deal of uncertainty on how Fairfax County will handle zoning decisions approved after the modernization of the Zoning Ordinance was adopted. Planning Commissioners, supervisors, zoning staff, and county attorneys are evaluating the Supreme Court decision and determining the next … Continued
Virginia Supreme Court throws out Z-Mod
The Virginia Supreme Court ruled on March 23 that Z-Mod, Fairfax County’s overhaul and modernization of the Zoning Ordinance, is void. According to the opinion by Justice Wesley Russell Jr., the Board of Supervisors “adopted Z-Mod in a manner that violated the open meeting provisions of VFOIA” [the Virginia Freedom of Information Act]. As a … Continued
Legal notice
The following is a paid legal notice submitted by Bremer Law & Associates of Providence R.I. To Jarvin Alexander Garcia Gallardo:A complaint has been presented to the Providence Family Court of the State of Rhode Island by the Petitioner, Farida Yasminia Gramajo De Leon, seeking sole custody and special findings regarding the minor child Leonel … Continued
Descano announces re-election bid
Steve Descano, Fairfax County’s commonwealth’s attorney, announced Jan. 12 that he plans to seek re-election. “I’m proud of the great strides my office has taken in creating a criminal justice system where safety and justice go hand in hand and look forward to building on our success,” Descano said. He cited some of his accomplishments … Continued
Clerk of the court candidate Chris Falcon wants to make the office more accessible
Chris Falcon, the Annandale resident running for the position of clerk of the Fairfax County Circuit Court, wants to make that office more transparent and more accessible to the public. Falcon will be on the ballot for the Democratic Primary on June 20. So far, no one else has announced plans to run for the … Continued
Prosecutors won’t enforce abortion ban
If Virginia enacts a law banning abortions, the commonwealth’s attorneys for Fairfax and Arlington counties will not enforce it. That’s the message Steve Descano, the chief prosecutor for Fairfax County, and Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, who has that role for Arlington County and Falls Church City, brought to a fundraiser for Repro Rising Sept. 22 in Mason … Continued
Man convicted of fentanyl distribution
A federal jury convicted a Prince William County man Sept. 21 for distributing fentanyl resulting in death and serious injury, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia reports. According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Michael Vaughn, age 28 of Dumfries, distributed cocaine laced with fentanyl at a party at … Continued
County to provide info on abortion resources
In response to the Supreme Court’s overturning Roe v. Wade, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on June 28 passed a board matter by a 10-0 vote directing staff to provide information on reproductive resources, services, and facilities available to county residents. The Health Department and other agencies will work to prepare a webpage with … Continued
Virginia leaders react to the end of Roe
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade, local elected leaders vow to support efforts to protect women’s reproductive rights in Virginia. Meanwhile, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said he will work to ban most abortions after 15 weeks. Abortions in Virginia are legal up to about 26 weeks. Youngkin had refused to reveal … Continued