Crime & Safety

Top 10 Crimes in Fairfax County in 2010

Memorable Crimes



Never a dull moment in Fairfax County: the year 2010 brought a serial burglar, a number of homicides, a home invasion- and a traveling meat salesman too.

Patch editors have collected a list of the most memorable crimes in the county for 2010.

1) The Serial Burglar

Fairfax County saw 109 reported incidents, more than 60 burglaries or attempted burglaries, linked to one suspect from Aug. 24 through the beginning of November. Fairfax County Police believe Brad K. Edmonds, who was arrested in connection with incidents in Montgomery County, Md., is also connected with the incidents in Fairfax County. Edmonds has been charged with first-degree burglary, two counts of malicious destruction of property under $500, attempted first-degree burglary, two counts of rogue and vagabond, two counts of theft between $1,000 and $10,000, theft under $1,000, fourth-degree burglary tools, possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in Montgomery County and is being held in Montgomery County Detention Center.

No charges have been filed against him in Fairfax County.

2) Over 160 Cats Found in Annandale Home

Fairfax County Animal Control rescued 161 cats from an Annandale home on Friday, Nov. 19 and Saturday, Nov. 20. For the last few weeks, the cats have been treated for upper respiratory and eye infections at local veterinary hospitals while under the care of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter. The Friends of the Fairfax County Animal Shelter, a private, non-profit organization that raises money to support the shelter for special case emergencies such as hoarding situations, has been accepting donations both monetary and material for the cats.

The two women, Eleanor Kaufer and Paula Burns, were charged with animal neglect and pled guilty on Thursday, Dec. 9. They will return to court for two additional charges of cruelty to animals and having unsanitary conditions. Both Kaufer and Burns were ordered to pay a number of fines and will receive unscheduled inspections for the next 24 months.

3) Burke Area "Speed Bump Murder" Not Actually About Speed Bump

In September, air traffic controller Stephen Carr was found dead with an apparent gunshot wound to the upper body at his home in Springfield near Burke. David Patton, who lived only a few streets away, was charged with the murder, with eyewitness reports from Carr's girlfriend putting him at the scene. She charged in the preliminary hearing for the case that Patton came into the house with a gun while the couple was watching the Redskins game, ordered them both on the floor, and shot Carr in a scuffle that ensued between the two men. A previous incident in which Patton was charged with assaulting Carr in June was about to go to trial mere days after the attack. A large amount of media headlines initially reported that this disagreement was over a speed bump Carr had worked to get installed in front of his house, but later information seems to indicate that may not be true. The trial date is set for February.

4) Pet Fox Confiscated in Reston Town Center

Woman at Reston Town Center got her pet fox briefly confiscated by Fairfax County Police on Halloween. She was walking the leashed fox, who was clad in a skeleton costume, and officials were concerned she did not have the proper permits. It turned out there was no crime committed.

5) Traveling Meat Salesman Arrested

Devyn Shea, a resident of Fredericksburg, worked in October as a door-to-door meat salesman out of a white van and was arrested near the Huntington Station Shopping Center. He was charged with burglary after he was accused of entering a house through an unlocked door.

6) Grandmother Throws 2-year-old Off Walkway

A 2-year-old died after her grandmother allegedly threw her off a six-story walkway. Police say that Carmela Dela Rosa, of Fairfax, was walking to a parking garage with the Falls Church child and other family members when she suddenly threw Ogdoc over the edge of the walkway.

7) College Freshman Murdered

A college student was stabbed and left to die in a ditch just off route 50. Nineteen-year-old Vanessa Pham, of Falls Church, had just completed her freshman year at the Savannah College of Art and Design and hoped to become a fashion designer when she finished school. She had no known enemies and was last seen alive at a nail salon on Gallows Road. Her body was found just ten minutes later.

8) Centreville High School Teacher Arrested for Indecent Liberties With Student

Last week Fairfax County police arrested a Centreville High School social studies teacher on charges of indecent liberties with a student. Brian White, 32, of Haymarket, is now being held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, on four counts of indecent liberties with a child by a person in a supervisory position.

The victim was a student about 16 years old in 2007 and 2008, the time the alleged incidents took place, police said.

9) Handyman Murdered While Trying to Protect Family During Home Invasion

Two gunmen murdered a heroic handyman during a home invasion in Centreville last May. Jose Rosales, 39, put up a fight to protect the family he worked for, after two armed men broke into the family's garage. The two men then shot and killed him.

10) Retired Army Officer Charged in Wife, Daughter's Deaths

On a June morning former military officer Kenston Yi walked into DeWitt Army Community Hospital on Fort Belvoir and told the hospital staff that a "tragic event" had taken place at his home on Cardinal Forest Lane in Lorton. Police officers were then dispatched to Yi's residence where they discovered the bodies of Yi's wife, Hyon and daughter, fifteen-year-old Joy Jayhon, a freshman at South County Secondary School. Yi was immediately charged in their murders, which appears to have started as a domestic dispute. Hyon died from a blunt trauma to the head and Joy Jayhon's death was a result of asphyxiation.




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