Purcellville police incident report Jan. 22

01/15/21          10:57a.m.        20^th and A. Street                                            Suspicious Person

A woman on a walk noticed a subject walking behind her and felt that he may have been following her.  The subject never approached or made contact with her and appeared to be listening to something, as he was wearing headphones. A look out was broadcast and a fellow officer observed a man matching the description of the subject in the area of Maple and G Street. The original reporting officer responded and identified the subject as a consumer of mental health services, who recently moved back to the area to stay with his parents.  The subject stated that he was walking and listening to music but was not purposely following anyone.  The complainant was notified by police as to their findings.

01/16/21          12:02 p.m.       800 Block of Mildenhall Court                        False Report- Child Abuse

ECC received a call from what was described as a highly intoxicated subject, reporting child abuse.  All of the callers identifying information was blocked.  The investigating officer responded to a residence and learned that Child Protective services had responded previously and closed out the call as being a false report.  The officer did see the child and confirmed no signs of abuse.  The parents are at a loss as to why they have been targeted for these allegations.

01/16/21          5:58 p.m.         1230 Wolf Rock Drive                                     Trespassing

Officers responded to the 7-Eleven store for a report of a subject behaving strangely.  Upon arrival they noted the presence of a subject who appeared to be either in need of mental health services or was under the influence of narcotics. The subject’s behavior did not rise to the level of dangerous to self or others and no narcotics were located. The subject was waiting for a ride home. Later the officers were called to Manhattan Pizza for the same subject as he migrated to that location.  One of the responding officers was able to obtain a phone number for the subject’s father, who responded and retrieved his son.   

01/17/21          9:33 p.m.         Town of Purcellville                                        Found Property

An officer on patrol observed an unattended backpack on the covered basketball court at Blue Ridge Middle School.  The officer found some possible identifying information inside and left a v/m. Anyone missing a backpack from this location can call 540-338-7422 and ask for Sergeant Wagner.  

01/19/21          2:13 p.m.         100 Block of Frazer Drive                               Suspicious Person

The complainant reported that for the past 6 to 12 months, she has been followed by a male subject approximately 80 years of age. She reported seeing him at her place of employment, near her home and once following her to Ashburn.  Their general interactions have consisted of waving at each other. No threats of any nature have been implied.

01/19/21          3:16 p.m.         Online                                                            Extortion

The victim friended an unknown woman, named “Emma Chase” on Facebook and began a relationship via instant message.  He noted that the correspondence was written in what he described as broken English. Eventually, as happened with many on-line relationships, during a video chat, he complied with her request to see his genitalia.  This act was followed soon thereafter with a demand for $3000.00 or else she would share a screen shot of his pudendum with all of his Facebook friends.  He did not comply with this demand.  To date, the photo has not been shared publicly. The investigating officer provided the victim with information on how to report the account of Emma Chase to Facebook.  

For information on social media safety see:

A Teens Guide to Social Media Safety

01/19/21          3:31 p.m.         500 Block of Rugby Court                              On-Line Fraud

The complaint used PayPal to place a deposit on a puppy after seeing an ad on Instagram. The alleged dog was purported to be in Harrisonburg but the buyer never received the address from the seller. PayPal will reimburse the buyer for the deposit. 

For tips on on-line shopping safety see:

https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0020-shopping-online

01/19/21          6:25 p.m.         Town of Purcellville                            Mental Health Assistance

A patient of a group home was becoming agitated. Staff reported that it was likely a combination of a mandatory 14 day quarantine due to COVID and a reduction in the patient’s medicine.  Two officers responded and were able to assist in calming the patient and suggesting a coping mechanism for the distressed subject to try. No additional police assistance was necessary.

01/20/21          5:30 p.m.         100 E. Main Street                              Petit Larceny/Trespassing

A loss prevention officer reported that on 1/17/21, a soon to be ex-Giant employee was observed on video using the self-service checkout line, where she scanned some items and skipped others, valued at $12.47.  She left the store with the un-scanned items. She was fired and served with a no trespassing notice.  No prosecution was desired.    

01/20/21          5:30 p.m.         100 E. Main Street                              Petit Larceny

A loss prevention officer reported that on 1/19/21, an unknown w/m entered the store with an unleashed dog. The man and beast proceeded to the beer aisle, where the dog unceremoniously defecated. During the chaos that ensued, the man stole a case of Budweiser valued a $13.99 and he and his K-9 accomplice fled the store.   The escape was captured on video and a tag for the suspect vehicle was obtained.  The investigation is on-going.