Community Corner

Weird News: Hidden Machete, Threatening Meat Cleaver, and Stolen Cars and Shoes

Plus, bloodhound puppies join the force and can you smell what the gubernatorial scandal-machine is cooking?

By Greg Hambrick

Editor's Note: Patch has 31 sites in Virginia and D.C., and not a day goes by that something weird isn't happening somewhere in the area. Here's a look back at some weird goings-on over the past week.

Nice Shoes, Perp: Don’t worry about robbers drooling over your shiny new iPhone, worry about your shoes! A teen was cycling down the street in Dale City when he was approached by an unknown man. The subject pushed the 14-year-old off his bike and stole his shoes. Hey, Apple, come up with a pair of shoes with a thumbprint passcode and then we’ll be impressed.

Taste for Corruption: Proving that the juiciest drama starts in the kitchen, the governor’s chef Todd Schneider pleaded no contest this week to charges that he stole food from the mansion pantry. Schneider’s big confession led investigators to dig deeper into accusations Gov. Bob McDonnell had received gifts and cash from a wealthy donor. The scandal souffle also included donations and gifts to gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli.

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Extensive Testing: With all those commercials showing test-drives-gone-awry, it is no surprise that reality is catching up to fiction in Fairfax. Dealers at AutoLoox called city police after a couple rolled off the lot for a test drive and kept on driving. The car was found in D.C. and a warrant has been issued for the driver. We’re sure they would have returned it, eventually. Even the best new car smell fades.

Puppy Power: Cute puppies aren’t just for internet memes and wall calendars. They’re also fighting crime, one “Awww, how precious,” at a time. Sy and Bolt are the latest additions to the Fairfax County Police K9 unit. The bloodhound puppies will be tracking down clues like … er, bloodhounds. "They have 1,000 years of instinct in following their nose," said Officer Kevin Clarke, Sy's new handler.

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Shot Here, Found There: Urban archery knows no borders when the injured game jumps a fence. A concerned citizen called Alexandria police after spotting hunters in camouflage driving a pickup truck. The season for hunting antlerless deer began Sept. 7 in parts of Virginia. The two men had shot a deer in Fairfax County and the animal jumped a fence into Alexandria.

A Sharp Object is a Sharp Object is a…: Knives are dangerous, but two recent reports show variety is the spice of a life of crime. In Herndon, a Centreville man was arrested for allegedly using a meat cleaver to threaten a victim the subject accused of being “disrespectful.” Separately, Fairfax City police were surprised to see a man sitting by the side of the road while concealing both a machete and a bowie knife. He was arrested.


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