Latest news with #LoudounCountySheriff'sOffice
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Virginia sheriff's stance on illegal immigration colors landscape on searches of Latino motorists
(Getty Images) Traffic stops and searches of Latino motorists in Loudoun County have increased dramatically the first three months of this year compared to the same period in 2024, sparking complaints from activists and some residents. The Sheriff's Office asserts that deputies are simply patrolling more vigorously where serious crimes, historically, have occurred in the county. 'We are not stopping vehicles nor doing searches on the basis of ethnicity,' Tom Julia, spokesman for the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, said flatly, rejecting allegations of racial profiling. 'We completely disagree that it's targeting of any group.' Julia made convincing arguments. It's understandable that concerns have arisen, however, because of longtime Sheriff Mike Chapman's well-known, boisterous attacks against illegal immigration and its impacts nationwide. The elected Republican has frequently testified before congressional committees on the subject, often invited because of his leadership role in the National Sheriffs' Association. That means you can't consider his law-enforcement initiatives in Loudoun in a vacuum. 'Over the past four years, the United States has seen an unmitigated flow of undocumented and criminal aliens enter this country with many localities throughout the United States encouraging their sanctuary despite minimal, if not a total lack of proper vetting,' he testified in December. That was just a month after Donald Trump, who has demagogued the issue repeatedly – often in racial or xenophobic terms – was elected a second time to the presidency. A new report from the Center for Migration Studies found that there were 12.2 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. in 2023, using the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data available. About a year ago, Chapman noted hyperbolically on his LinkedIn account: 'We are all border states now, and the failure of this (Biden) Administration to slow the influx of undocumented immigrants has put all of us at risk.' He'd just testified at a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee hearing. This is the backdrop in which the traffic stops in Loudoun are playing out. With 443,000 people, it's one of Virginia's largest localities. The stops have gained attention following the release of department statistics to the Board of Supervisors there. Loudoun Now recently reported on the issue. From Jan. 1-March 31, deputies stopped white motorists 3,343 times and Latino motorists 1,194 times. White residents comprise 51% of the population, and Latinos about 14%, according to census figures. The numbers of stops by deputies were up noticeably for both races from the same period in 2024 – especially for whites. (Of course, not all motorists stopped by deputies were county residents.) More striking, though, is the number of searches for these subgroups: Deputies searched whites 31 times in the first three months of 2025, compared to 90 for Latinos. The numbers for the same period last year were 13 and 15, respectively. Activists and residents have decried the disproportionate number of searches affecting Latinos and questioned whether they're being singled out – possibly for undue suspicion of being undocumented immigrants. 'Even though white and Hispanic residents are getting ticketed at traffic stops at about the same rate, Hispanic residents are eight times more likely to have their vehicle searched than white residents. This is clear racial profiling,' Sarah Pace said at a recent Board of Supervisors meeting. 'When 14% of the population accounts for 55% of all traffic stop searches, this isn't about crime prevention. It's blatant targeting of an already vulnerable and hard-working community,' Heather Gottlieb, a New Virginia Majority member, said in a recent news release. The organization focuses on working-class communities of color across the state. I interviewed Sofia Saiyed, campaign director for the group's Loudoun and western Fairfax chapter. She told me organization members say there's a significantly heavier presence of deputies in the community, moreso than before. 'We're also in an environment in which the presidential administration is making anti-immigrant statements and deportation stunts,' Saiyed said. 'The concern that we have is that Sheriff Chapman has been very public and vocal about his alignment with Trump's anti-immigration agenda.' As several nonprofit officials pointed out, Gov. Glenn Youngkin also signed an executive order in February deputizing the Virginia State Police to help identify and arrest criminal undocumented immigrants 'who pose a risk to public safety.' That brings me back to Julia, the Sheriff's Office spokesman. He said deputies are stopping people for cause and there's a nexus between proactive traffic enforcement, arrests and reducing the number of crimes. Julia noted the Sterling area in eastern Loudoun County has had the highest percentage of crimes for decades. Major crimes also occur there. The Sheriff's Office, he said, is using data-driven analytics to fight the offenses. As the department noted in a recent news release, the Eastern Loudoun Station area has 'a significantly higher Latino population than in other parts of the county.' If you patrol heavily in areas where many crimes have been reported, you're bound to make more traffic stops and arrests. The situation is complex. Is it profiling? Or simply smart police work? A combination? Questions of whether the stepped-up enforcement program is targeting Latinos unfairly – alienating residents in the process – are bound to continue. Given his posture on immigration, the sheriff should've expected the heightened scrutiny and should now listen to his community's concerns. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man wanted for armed robbery at Bank of America in Sterling
STERLING, Va. () — The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) is investigating an armed bank robbery that happened on Wednesday in Sterling. The incident happened at a Bank of America, located in the 2000 block of Davenport Drive, at around 3 p.m. when a suspect went into the bank, pulled out a weapon and demanded money. LCSO said the suspect is described to be a man wearing a black face mask, black jacket and grey pants with a backpack under his jacket on the front of his body. Prince William County police investigating targeted fatal triple shooting near Woodbridge shopping center He was last seen driving away from the area in a gray Ford Escape with no tags and under-inflated driver's side tires. Anyone with information is asked to call 703-777-1021 or submit a tip on the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office app. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man arrested in Loudoun County child sex crimes chatroom bust
LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) — An additional man has been arrested in a child sex crimes internet chat operation, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office (LCSO). Lee William Hester, 54, of Ohio, was charged with use of a communication device to facilitate certain offenses involving children. 9-year-old boy injured in hit-and-run in Northeast DC, police say According to deputies, an arrest warrant for Hester was filed Thursday regarding a bust targeting child sex offenders the week of April 21. Hester is being held without bond at the Stark County Jail in Canton, Ohio. The LCSO urges everyone to be aware of how to protect children and others against internet predators using resources like and Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Former Chantilly Catholic school teacher charged with child pornography possession
LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. () — The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office (LCSO) is asking the community for more information after a former Catholic school teacher was arrested for child pornography possession. Nicolas Martin Zimmerman, 35, previously taught at St. Veronica's Catholic School in Chantilly from August 2015 through February 2025. School officials: students setting laptops on fire, connected to TikTok trend LCSO said he was arrested on April 7 and charged with two counts of felony electronic solicitation, nine counts of felony possession of child pornography and one count of felony indecent liberties. Investigators believe there could be more victims connected to his case and are looking for help from the community. Anyone with information is asked to call 703-777-1021 or email Police say those who wish to remain anonymous can call Loudoun County Crime Solvers at 703-777-1919 or submit a tip through the LCSO app. DC News Now has reached out to St. Veronica's Catholic School for a statement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Virginia town backs away from dissolving police department after citizen uproar
Amid backlash from residents, leaders in a Virginia town voted Tuesday to keep Purcellville's police force a week after they tried to eliminate it to save more than $3 million, according to reports. The town of Purcellville, located in Loudoun County, Virginia, has found itself around $50 million in the red following the construction of a major wastewater treatment facility, and the council sought to tighten the town's budget by disbanding the local police department and relying on the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office for law enforcement. The initial decision to dismantle the police department led to recall petitions to remove several council members and Vice Mayor Ben Nett from office. Council members who proposed eradicating the force said they wanted to do so to reduce water bills for the town's 9,000 residents. But the council reversed course and voted to fund the police force at $3.2 million for 2026 at a jam-packed town council meeting Tuesday where outraged residents and other officials voiced their concerns about the proposal. Trump Lifts Police 'Burden' With Executive Orders In First 100 Days: Veteran Officer The result of the vote was met with cheers by residents in attendance. Read On The Fox News App Residents who spoke during public comments said they didn't want to get rid of the police department to save on water bills and criticized the council's vote two weeks ago without having public comment on that particular motion, according to Fox 5 DC. Dem Elites Accused Of Slapping Small-town Cops With 'Witch Hunt' Fines Twice Their Pay "The four of you snuck agenda items in at the end of the meeting and took away my lawful right to comment on them," one resident said, ABC7 reports. Sheriff Mike Chapman, of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, released a statement before the meeting saying the town council and manager had not discussed plans and said a transition could not happen in two months. The vote came amid a criminal investigation into Vice Mayor Ben Nett for potential violations of Virginia conflict of interest laws, according to Fox 5 DC. Nett was absent from Tuesday night's meeting. Nett was fired from the Purcellville Police Department on April 8 and within a week he voted to disband it with no effort to recuse himself, a letter from the Loudoun County Commonwealth's attorney states, per Fox 5 DC. The council, meanwhile, has come under fire for other issues too, including appointing former Mayor Kwasi Fraser as town manager without the council interviewing the 82 candidates that applied. Purcellville council member Erin Rayner said there's been a lot of behavior that she found questionable since the new council took office earlier this year. "I am happy that it's not just me and my fellow colleagues that are seeing this behavior and are seeing what's going on and looking into it," Rayner article source: Virginia town backs away from dissolving police department after citizen uproar
