February 2014
Today’s Good News
Monday, Feb. 3
Thanks to the swift and coordinated response of several Second Precinct officers and two K-9 units
recently, a pair of men who robbed and shot a man on the Southside were quickly found and arrested. A
Sheriff’s deputy who was working off duty in the area called in the shooting and relayed the suspects’
descriptions. Minutes later while walking down an alley, Officers Erica Hall and Wayne Cole spotted a
man peek his head around from behind a parked vehicle. As they approached further, they saw him
removing layers of clothing, but once he saw the officers, he took off running.
K-9 Officer Monty Agee and K-9 Phantom started a track in the alley and followed the scent to a small,
wooded area behind a business. As they approached, the two suspects--who had been hiding in the
woods--jumped up and ran. K-9 Phantom apprehended the first suspect while officers stationed on the
perimeter caught the second suspect trying to jump a fence. K-9 Officer Sammy Hernandez and K-9
Niko searched the woods for evidence and found two firearms and clothing belonging to both suspects.
Thanks to these officers’ speedy response, good intelligence, solid perimeter and pursuit, two violent
criminals were quickly and safely removed from the street.
Tuesday, Feb. 4
Fourth Precinct Officer George Banks was on patrol recently when he spotted a vehicle driving the
wrong way down Second Street. As he attempted to stop the vehicle, it sped off, ran a stop sign and
struck a pole where the two occupants jumped out and ran. Officer Banks quickly caught one of them—a
teenager—who immediately said he saw two men running but didn’t have anything to do with any car.
There was just one problem. Officer Banks hadn’t yet mentioned any car. After advising the juvenile of his
rights, the juvenile confessed to stealing the car and named his accomplice. He was subsequently
charged with violating curfew and auto theft. Charges are pending against the second offender. Good
work Officer Banks!
Wednesday, Feb. 5
Thanks to the combined efforts and dedication of several Second Precinct officers recently, a teenager
who tried to rob a man on the Southside was found and arrested within hours. Officer Matthew Segal
responded to the Southgate Street and Castlewood Road area to investigate a report of a man in a big,
puffy red coat who had just tried to rob another man. He spotted a group of males and detained one who
matched the suspect’s description, but then officers had trouble reaching the victim so he had to let the
man go. A short time later, Officer Cynthia Marlowe found the victim at his residence and Officers
Danielle Ardila and Jonathan Myers picked up the suspect from earlier. With the assistance of
Detective Derrick Longoria, the victim identified the suspect, who was then charged with attempted
robbery. Good work officers!
Thursday, Feb. 6
Fourth Precinct Officer Keith Yox recently responded to St. James Street to investigate a report of two
men who robbed another man earlier that afternoon. After the suspects’ descriptions were put out over
the radio, Sergeant Leonard Broadnax spotted two men who matched the descriptions and detained
them. With the assistance of Detective James Higgins, both men were identified as the robbers and
charged accordingly. Good work officers!
Friday, Feb. 7
Kudos to Fourth Precinct Detective John Walker who was named the Department’s Problem Solver of
the Month for January! Detective Walker’s dedication to the job is more than just investigating and
solving the cases directly assigned to him. He pays attention to the crime trends in his precinct and
follows up diligently to find the one break that cracks the case open.
That’s exactly what happened last month when he noticed a spike in burglaries in Sector 411. Detective
Walker responded to a burglary to help process the scene and recovered numerous fingerprints, which he
turned over to Forensics. He stayed in close contact with Forensics until they came up with a positive
match, and he quickly followed up with the suspect. With the help of the FMT Tactical Unit, they arrested
and charged the man with several burglaries.
But he didn’t stop there. Thanks to his solid investigation, he cleared three other burglary investigations
because of his hard work. Thank you and congratulations Detective John Walker!
NO WEEKEND NEWS
Monday, Feb. 10
Kudos to Officer Michael Ahnstrom who was named First Precinct’s Officer of the Month for
January! Though a serial shoplifter may have eluded capture in Sectors 111 and 113, he could not elude
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Officer Ahnstrom! During his last shoplifting foray at a store on North 25 Street, the suspect stole several
quilts and ran from the store. Though the security officer lost sight of him, Officer Ahnstrom diligently
checked the area and found him hiding behind a building several blocks away. The arrest cleared several
cases!
Officer Ahnstrom also focuses on prevention as part of his good work. One example occurred during a
traffic stop when he noticed drug paraphernalia in the car. After speaking with the driver, he was able to
contact the driver’s drug counselor and get them immediate help for the addiction.
Combine all this with Officer Ahnstrom’s happily attending community meetings, including volunteering for
Coffee with a Cop, and you have our First Precinct Officer of the Month! Thank you and congratulations
Officer Michael Ahnstrom!
Tuesday, Feb. 11
A nice citizen tweeted us this photo on Saturday of this First Precinct officer assisting a gentleman and
we had to follow up with his supervisors to learn more. According to Sector 111 Lt. Dan Minton, this is
Officer Jordan Clark, who received a call about a man needing assistance after his wheelchair battery
had died.
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Officer Clark responded and pushed the man for three blocks to 21 and Broad streets, where he had
coordinated with GRTC to get the man picked up. He then helped the man get on the bus and then
followed the bus to the man’s home near 21st and Q streets. But he didn’t stop there. He then pushed the
man in his wheelchair another two blocks and helped him get safely into his home. What an incredibly
kind thing for him to do. Talk about going above and beyond. Good work, and thank you Officer Clark!
Wednesday, Feb. 12
Kudos to Master Patrol Officer Timothy Wade who was named Second Precinct’s Officer of the
Month for January! MPO Wade knows how to build good relationships with community members and it’s
exactly those good relationships that have helped him receive valuable information when it comes to
solving crimes.
MPO Wade does this by getting out of his car to walk, talk and visit with citizens and business owners
throughout Sector 211. Because of this relatively simple action, he’s now become very well-known and
trusted among the community. The constant flow of good information has created great partnerships
within the community.
By speaking with citizens, he concluded that one of their major concerns was speeding in certain
neighborhoods so MPO Wade focused a considerable amount of time between radio calls conducting
traffic enforcement and providing high visibility in those areas. Citizens were incredibly grateful. His work
has also helped build a positive attitude about police officers in general in the minds of citizens. Thank
you and congratulations Master Police Officer Timothy Wade!
Thursday, Feb. 13
Kudos to Master Patrol Officer Jacob DeBoard who was named Third Precinct Precinct’s Officer of
the Month for January! MPO DeBoard’s “spidey” senses were definitely tingling on Jan. 5 when he
spotted two men pushing a city trash can down the middle of the street. He stopped to talk with both men
and also peeked inside the trash can where he discovered several pieces of cut copper and air
conditioning parts.
Officer DeBoard then requested additional units check the area for possible burglaries and charged both
men with misdemeanor crimes to hold them. He took the lead the next day, following up with detectives,
and learned that a specific building being renovated had been burglarized. Officer DeBoard then
interviewed several people involved with the building and through these interactions he was able to
charge the two men with burglary, grand larceny and possession of burglary tools.
But it was not just his excellent investigation skills that we want to recognize. Later in the month, Officer
DeBoard responded to a violent domestic situation and was able to use his communication skills to calm
everyone involved and safely arrest the offender. He also went a step further when he noticed that there
were five children living in the house without heat or running water. His follow-up was instrumental in
getting the home condemned and the children safely relocated to healthier living conditions. Thank you
and congratulations, Master Patrol Officer Jacob DeBoard!
Friday, Feb. 14
Kudos to Communications Officer LeiMeredith Moore-Byers who was named the Department’s
Communications Officer of the Month for January! CO Moore-Byers may be new to the Department,
but her skills are top notch! A great example of that occurred on Jan. 2 when she was assigned to Police
Channel 4 and an officer advised he had two vehicles chasing and shooting at each other.
CO Moore-Byers toned the shooting and requested EMS as the officer reported that one car had crashed
and at least one person had been shot. Despite the chaotic scene, CO Moore-Byers remained calm while
providing further support for responding units. But the incident wasn’t over yet! Officers then reported a
second shooting victim and another officer spotted the suspect’s vehicle. Despite the multitude of units
talking; the outside agencies responding; and all that was going on, CO Moore-Byers kept everyone
informed and safe.
As a direct result of her performance during this high-impact incident, a perimeter was set up, three
arrests were made and no officers were injured. This is just one of the many examples of CO MooreByers great work at DEC! Thank you and congratulations Communications Officer LeiMeredith MooreByers!
NO WEEKEND NEWS
Monday, Feb. 17—CITY HOLIDAY
Tuesday, Feb. 18
Major Crimes Detective Chris Foultz recently commended First Precinct Officers John Flack and
Centell McNeil for their assistance during a hit and run investigation in Shockoe Slip. Detective Foultz
was working at an off-duty assignment when he witnessed a traffic crash and requested a patrol unit to
help. Officers Flack and McNeil made contact with the woman who caused the accident and suspected
that she was intoxicated. Upon further investigation, which involved interviewing other individuals and
conducting field sobriety tests, they then arrested the woman and charged her with driving under the
influence.
Detective Foultz wrote that he greatly appreciated the patrol officers aid and quick response because
there were a large number of citizens in the area and this prevented further incidents of people getting
hurt and property being damaged. Good work officers!
Wednesday, Feb. 19
Thanks to an observant citizen and fast-responding officers, a man who broke into a business on Forest
Hill Avenue this past weekend was quickly arrested. Just before 1 a.m., a woman saw a man dressed in
all black crouch down near a business before breaking the glass door to enter. After the suspect’s
description was broadcast, Aviation Unit Officers Shaun McCarthy of Henrico Police and Doug
Houston of Chesterfield Police spotted the suspect walking nearby and Richmond Police Captain
Gary Ladin and Third Precinct Officer Louis Burrell safely took him into custody without incident. After
further investigation and being interviewed by Detective Greg Sullivan, the man confessed and was
charged with grand larceny and burglary. Good work officers, and thank you observant citizen!
Thursday, Feb. 20
Several Fourth Precinct officers recently responded to Old Brook Road to investigate an armed robbery
and made two swift arrests within hours of the incident. Detective Mark Godwin and Officer Nicholas
Stirrett interviewed the victim and spotted the first suspect nearby within minutes of their conversation.
They quickly took him into custody. After further investigation, they identified the second person involved.
Officers Gene Carter, Ryan Donald, Michael Kiniry and Stirrett then went to another location to find
the second suspect and took him into custody without incident. Both men were interviewed by Detective
Godwin and charged with robbery. Good work everyone!
Friday, Feb. 21
On behalf of Chief Ray J. Tarasovic and the entire Richmond Police Department, we invite everyone
to attend our Salute to Excellence awards ceremony at 1 p.m. today at the Virginia Repertory Theatre at
114 W. Broad St. Chief Tarasovic will present the awards to our Precinct of the Year and Sector of the
year for having the largest crime reductions. He will also name the Rookie of the Year and the
Communications Officer of the Year.
He will also present a Chief’s Citation; Medal of Valor; Police Medal; and Life Saving Bar to officers who
risked their lives during operations to fight crime and help citizens in danger. Additionally, officers, civilian
employees and community members will be recognized for their contributions toward making Richmond a
better place for all of us to live, work and play.
NO WEEKEND NEWS
Monday, Feb. 24
Thanks to good investigative work by Fourth Precinct Detectives Mark Godwin and James Higgins,
six business robberies from 2012 have now been solved. The detectives recently followed up on some
new information about a possible suspect for the crimes that occurred across the city in 2012. That
information led them to a man who is currently serving a 40-year prison sentence for other crimes. After
speaking with the man, he confessed to all six robberies. Good work detectives!
Tuesday, Feb. 25
Thanks to good observation skills and the speedy response of Third Precinct officers recently, a man
who robbed another man at gunpoint was quickly identified and arrested. Officer Chris Williams was the
first officer on scene and he interviewed the victim and quickly broadcast the suspect’s description. A
short time later, Officer Steve Fields spotted the man nearby and detained him without incident. After
further investigation by Detective Greg Sullivan, the man was identified by the victim and charged with
armed robbery and burglary. Good work officers!
Wednesday, Feb. 26
Sometimes the hardest part of the job is just having patience. That was the case earlier this month when
Second Precinct officers received a tip from an observant citizen who spotted three men park a car and
then break into a salvage yard. Officers Brian Rogers, Ken Smith and Justin Sumpter were the first
officers on scene and they set up a perimeter while K-9 Officer Rob Gregory and K-9 Sumo responded
and searched the building. The Aviation Unit also responded and searched the yard, but none of them
found anyone.
That’s when Detectives Pedro Riddle and Mark Hatchett decided to wait. They cleared the area, but
kept an eye on the offenders’ car. Their patience paid off. A short time later, they spotted three men hop
back over the fence from the salvage yard and load several spools of stolen copper into their car. Officers
moved in and safely arrested all three offenders and recovered several pounds of stolen copper. Good
work officers and detectives!
Thursday, Feb. 27
Thanks to the swift response by several First Precinct officers recently, a teenager who robbed another
young male was speedily identified and arrested. Officer LaTosha Lewis was the first officer on scene
and she quickly gathered and broadcast the suspect’s description. Officer Rey Perez then spotted a
person matching the suspect’s description and detained him without incident. After further investigation by
Detective Clyde Lindsey, the male was charged with robbery and grand larceny. Good work officers!
Friday, Feb. 28
Seven minutes. That was all it took earlier this week for First Precinct officers to respond, investigate
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and find a man who tried to break into a home on North 29 Street. Thanks to an observant citizen who
called in a tip, Officers Michael Ahnstrom, Sarah Campbell and Detective Brian Taylor were able to
respond quickly and search the area. Nearby Detectives Harry Fitzpatrick and Tori Wilson also
responded to the call, spotted the suspect a few streets away and detained him without incident. After
further investigation, they charged him with burglary and possession of burglary tools. They’re also
investigating to see if he’s connected to other burglaries in same neighborhood. Good work officers!