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NEWS RELEASE                                                                               Contact:  Major Dave Dailey

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                   ddailey@purcellvilleva.gov, 540-338-7422

POLICE INCIDENTS REPORT

PURCELLVILLE, Va. June 12, 2020

06/05/20          2:50 p.m.         300 Block of J Street                                                  Welfare Check

Officers responded to a residence to check on the welfare of a child after a teacher noticed what appeared to be a bruise on the side of her face. Officers did not see any bruising on the child and learned that she had been playing with make-up prior to her on-line school lesson. The complainant at Child Protective Services was informed of the findings.  

06/05/20          6:15 p.m.         200 Block of Grassy Ridge Terrace                          Virtual Kidnap Scam

The victim received a text message threating harm to family members that were allegedly in custody of the unknown texter who claimed to be in the Mexican Cartel, unless an unspecified amount of money was paid.  The complainant was concerned because the text included his name, address and the names of his children. A later texted included photos of two boys, who were not the victim’s children.  

It appears that the victim’s information was obtained from public data bases via google.  No money was exchanged. The victim’s wife notified her government employer about the threats and officers spoke with the employer’s security apparatus. 

For more information on this type of scam, see https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/virtual-kidnapping

06/06/20          2:32 p.m.         609 E. Main Street                                         Petit Larceny  

At 1:30 p.m. an employee of the Dollar Tree observed an unknown subject exit a tan colored 4 door Subaru and steal a Donald Trump flag from the back of the victim’s truck.  Nothing else was taken from the victim’s vehicle. 

06/06/20          6:44 p.m.         500 Maple Avenue                                          Found Property  

A subject on the W & OD trail found keys on a key chain and turned them into the Fire Department, who in turn called the police.  There was no identifying information on the key ring but they were on a designer key chain.    The owner can claim they keys at the Purcellville Police Department, 125 Hirst Road. For additional information call 540-338-7422.

06/07/20          10:47 a.m.       500 Block of Rugby Court                             Harassment

The victim reported that on 06-06-20 her husband and son went fishing in a retention pond in a near-by neighborhood after receiving permission to do so. She alleged that while they were fishing an unknown subject approached them and questioned their right to fish there and then followed them home in his car.  She further alleged that on 06-07-20, the same subject in the same car, along with two other men is two separate vehicles parked in the nearby cul-de-sac on two separate occasions.  Nothing was captured on her ring camera, nor on the ring camera of four nearby residences.  The complainant’s husband was not home and has not yet spoken to the police regarding this matter.

06/07/20          3:00 p.m.         609 E. Main Street                                         Protest March  

At 3:00 p.m. a planned protest march made its way from 609 Main Street to Town Hall. Main Street and Nursery Avenue were closed to traffic for two hours to facilitate the march and there were no reported incidents.  Medics responded for two calls of overheated people.

06/07/20          9:00 p.m.         251 N. 21^st Street                                            DUI

Employees at Monk’s Bar-B-Que called to report that an intoxicated subject was driving out of their parking lot. An officer located that vehicle and observed driving behavior typically associated with intoxicated driving.  After stopping and approaching the vehicle, the officer noted a strong odor of alcoholic beverage emanating from the driver. The suspect failed a battery of field sobriety tests and was transported to the Adult Detention Center, where his breathalyzer test was .14

Arrested was: Matthew R. Wendt, 30, of Woodbridge, VA

06/08/20          2:19 p.m.         400 Block of Upper Heyford Place                Noise Complaint

Residents reported an on-going noise issue with an adjacent property that is located in the County. It was reported that the property owner built a “race track” at the edge of his property and runs a variety of loud vehicles, resulting in the sound to radiating to properties in the Mayfair Crown neighborhood. The investigating officer contacted the Community Resource Officer from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office in order to develop a coordinated response plan.

06/08/20          5:24 p.m.         440 S. Nursery Ave                                        Trespassing

An off-duty police officer observed two juvenile males on the roof of Emerick Elementary School.  Just as an on-duty unit arrived on scene one of the juveniles clambered off the roof in front of the officer.  The second juvenile quickly joined him and a call was placed to the boys’ father who responded and took them home.

06/09/20          12:58 p.m.       500 Block of S. 20^th Street                              Suspicious Incident 

A resident getting into his vehicle noticed that someone wrote a racial epitaph on the hood of the car using a finger to trace it in the pollen. The vehicle did not appear to be otherwise tampered with and the investigation is on-going.

06/09/20          3:30 p.m.         100 Block of N. 16^th Street                             Assault and Battery 

The victim reported that she allowed her boyfriend’s cousins to temporarily stay at her residence, but made them leave on 06-06-20 when she discovered drugs with their belongings.  On 06-09-20, the complainant answered a knock on her door and was grabbed by her hair and pushed to the ground by a woman who was the sister of the previously expelled cousins.  She got up and the suspect ran from the residence.  Officers checked the area but were unable to locate the suspect. The victim was unsure of prosecution. 

06/09/20          5:08 p.m.         609 E. Main Street                                         Disorderly Subject 

An unknown man entered the vape shop without a mask and was asked by staff to don a mask or purchase a mask for $ 1.50 if he did not have one.   The subject left the store only to return a few minutes later, picked up a mask from the counter and threw it towards the staff, entered their personal space and began to yell. After someone called the police, the subject left the store.  Officers checked the area but were unable to locate the unknown man. 

 06/09/20         8:58 p.m.         16513 Short Hill Road                                   Violation of a Protective Order 

Staff at the Town of Purcellville Water Plant were approached by an unknown man, who asked to use a phone to call his father.  The subject made four phone calls, one of which staff overhead comments which led them to believe that he was discussing a domestic dispute issue.  The man concluded his phone calls and asked for gas money.  A staff member gave him $20.00 and the man left.  Shortly thereafter, a town staffer found a $20.00 bill on the ground near the spot where the unknown man parked.  

Later in the day, staff at the plant received a call from a Deputy from Shenandoah County who reported that a subject made a phone call to a crime victim in violation of a protective order.  The investigating Purcellville officer provided a photo to Town staff who positively identified the subject. This information was relayed to Shenandoah County for further action.

06/09/20          1:27a.m.          100 Block of N. 16^th Street                             Phone Threats 

The victim of a previous assault and battery in which she expelled her boyfriend’s cousins from her residence, reported that her boyfriend received a threatening text message from one of his cousins.  The complainant did not feel unsafe as a result of the message but wanted police to be aware in the event that the situation escalated.  

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Officers also responded to the following complaints:

In addition, officers also conducted the following:

The Town of Purcellville, Virginia

“Purcellville-your small Town, where history and progress intersect and people prosper,” is an award-winning town of over 10,000 residents located in Loudoun County, approximately 50 miles west of Washington, DC. Having received the prestigious Siemens Sustainability Award for Small Communities, Purcellville continues to be honored for its green initiatives with most recently being the Tree City USA recipient for the 12^th year. The Town was reaffirmed as a AAA rated community by S&P Global Ratings, the highest credit rating possible, and is ranked “Safest City” in Virginia in 2020. Once a stop along the W&OD rail line, which has been converted to a multi-use trail from Alexandria, VA to Purcellville, the Town has maintained its historic old-town feel through the restoration and maintenance of its many downtown structures, reflecting the Victorian architecture popular during the early 1900s. Today, Purcellville is the economic hub of western Loudoun County and a popular weekend destination for antiquing, equestrian activities, farmer’s markets, wineries, breweries, distilleries and restaurants. More info at www.purcellvilleva.gov.

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