Five charged in theft attempts

By Lillian Kafka

Published: March 14, 2008

Prince William County police handed out more than 30 charges to five people in separate theft-related incidents this week.

One man was charged after police allegedly found him between cars with a screwdriver and gloves in the Horner Road Commuter Lot. Another incident yielded four arrests and 29 charges in a neighborhood in the Ben Lomond area of Manassas.

Just after 10 a.m. Wednesday, Officers K.R. Witte and S.A. Watt arrested a 19-year-old Woodbridge man after they found him moving between cars with a screwdriver and gloves, said Officer Erika Hernandez, police spokeswoman.

Melvin Jack Dickens Jr., 19, of 14386 Madrigal Drive, received a marijuana possession charge and one for carrying the screwdriver and gloves—what police in this situation call burglary tools.

He was held in lieu of a $10,000 bond, Hernandez said. His court hearing date is April 14.

Another incident at 2:18 a.m. Thursday yielded four more arrests in connection with a rash of car thefts in the Manassas area, Hernandez said.

Police responded to a resident's call about someone trying to break into cars in the 7700 block of Gateshead Lane near Ben Lomond Regional Park. A patrol officer on the lookout stopped a car with a teenage driver, who was later charged with driving under the influence.

The officer searched the car and found stereo systems, digital cameras, DVDs, cell phones, books and a video camera, Hernandez said.

In total, the three passengers and the driver netted 29 charges related to their alleged breaking into vehicles.

Police charged the following suspects: Gustavo A. Marquez, 18, of 185 Lambert Drive, Manassas Park; Tasha Lopez-Ordonez, 22, of 7521 Alleghany Road in Manassas; and Jose Gonzalez, 19, of 147 Manassas Drive in Manassas Park. The driver was a 16-year-old girl from Manassas Park whose name was not released because she is a juvenile.

All four suspects were each charged with grand larceny, possession of burglary tools, two counts of petit larceny, and three counts of destruction of private property.

The three adults were held in lieu of a $9,000 bond. Their court hearings are scheduled for April 23.

Staff writer Lillian Kafka can be reached at 703-878-8065.