media assignment
BROADCAST NEWS COPY
Using the rules we discussed, write 10 news stories for TV broadcast from the information in the police reports provided. Each lead should not exceed 65 words. Format should be 12 pt. font, Times New Roman, double space. Your deadline is Friday @ 9:5 a.m. NO EXCPETIONS!
BURGLARY: A home in the 7100 block of Country Meadow Court was burglarized around
7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 24. Officers responded to an alarm activation and found the front
door standing open. They made entry and discovered the burglary. Homeowners were contacted
and it was later determined several pieces of jewelry were missing from the home. The cable
wires outside the home were cut. Officers will check street cameras to see if suspects are visible.
Homeowners will stay with friends and family until more information is gathered.
COMMERCIAL BURGLARY: The “Checks Cashed” store, located at 7220 Arlington
Boulevard, was burglarized on Saturday, December 25 at 2:26 a.m. Entry was made by creating
a hole in the roof of the business. A large amount of cash and coins were stolen from inside.
Employees discovered the burglary the following day and called police. Surveillance cameras
were able to determine the exact time entry was made. Police have identified suspects but will not
release information until a positive identification can be made.
ROBBERY: Three teenage boys were robbed by two other males around 8:20 p.m. on Tuesday,
December 28. The three boys, 16, 16 and 17 years old, were walking along a path in the 5500
block of Seminary Road. Two other males confronted the victims from behind. They brandished
handguns and demanded money. One victim ran away; the other two victims complied. The
suspects fled on foot. Suspect one was described as black, about 20 years old. He was about 5
feet 10 inches tall, 145 pounds with a thin build and dreadlocks. He had a light complexion and a
black eye. He was wearing a long, black coat. Suspect two was described as black, with
dreadlocks and a dark complexion. He was wearing a black stocking cap, jeans, black gloves and
a long, black coat.
Police arrested a man for allegedly failing to obey an officer’s commands to stop on Friday,
November 19. Around 8:35 p.m., an officer attempted to make a traffic stop on a vehicle in the
600 block of Ad Hoc Road. The driver initially stopped but as the officer was speaking to him,
allegedly started to drive away. The officer attempted to take control of the driver and vehicle,
but was dragged a short distance and let go. The suspect pulled into his driveway at 660 Ad Hoc
Road and exited the vehicle. The officer again ordered the suspect to stop and after a brief
struggle, the suspect was subdued. Douglas M. Fox, 28, was taken to jail and charged with
assault on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, driving while intoxicated, disregarding
FATAL CRASH: A 20-year-old woman died around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 17
after she was injured in a crash the day before. Around 12:35 p.m. on Tuesday, November 16,
Natalie Miranda was driving her 1991 Honda Accord north on Cherokee Avenue with two male
acquaintances, 17 and 18 years old. The unlicensed, 17-year-old boy was driving and lost control
of the car just north of Patuxent Way. The Honda crossed over the double-yellow line then
swerved back into the northbound lane before rotating counter-clockwise. A 44-year-old woman
driving a 2008 Toyota Highlander saw the Honda approaching and stopped in her travel lane.
The Honda struck the Highlander then traveled down an embankment adjacent to the road.
Miranda and the 18-year-old man were transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital with life-threatening
injuries. The man’s condition was later determined to be non life-threatening. The
17-year-old driver and the 44-year-old woman were not injured. Natalie Miranda, of 3223
Nealon Drive in Falls Church, succumbed to her injuries the next day. Speed was a factor in the
crash. The investigation is ongoing.
ABDUCTION/SIMPLE ASSAULT/ARREST: Police arrested a man for allegedly grabbing a
25-year-old woman and preventing her from leaving a room at a hotel in the 6800 block of
Springfield Boulevard after an argument that occurred around 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, November
18. Bereket T. Medonnen, 37, of 7764 Shootingstar Drive in Springfield, was charged with
simple assault and abduction. The victim did not require medical attention.
POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY/PRODUCTION OF CHILD
PORNOGRAPHY/ARREST: Police arrested a 41-year-old McLean man on Monday, August 9
after an in-depth investigation which began in May. Detectives charged Joshua Gessler of 1310
Nina Court, with five counts of possession of child pornography and one count of production of
child pornography. The investigation began after police received a report of a 15-year-old
Centreville-area girl who was reported as a runaway. As police investigated this incident,
detectives reportedly linked Gessler to the girl through a series of online interactions. They
believe the girl and Gessler met in person and he allegedly took photos of a sexual nature and
transmitted them electronically.
HOMICIDE: Police have concluded that the human skeletal remains found on
Monday, July 12 just off Furnace Road are those of an unidentified man who was murdered. The
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) reported the victim died of trauma to the upper
body and it is estimated that the remains went undiscovered for up to one year. A forensic
anthropologist working with OCME determined the skeleton to be a European male with the possibility
of East Asian or Hispanic ancestry. He was in his mid-30s to early 40s andapproximately 5 feet 3 inches tall.
DEER MANAGEMENT: A new Archery Program was implemented last year as part of the
Fairfax County Deer Management Program. The Archery Program was developed with the
recognition that archery is a safe, efficient, and sustainable deer management tool in urbanized
regions such as Fairfax County. The Archery Program will be implemented from Saturday,
October 16, 2015 until Saturday, February 12, 2016. Selected parks will not be closed to park
patrons during this time and signs will be posted on trails informing visitors of this deer
management activity. All hunting will be conducted from elevated tree stands and located at least
100 feet from park property lines and 50 feet from trails. The Archery Program is conducted at
selected park sites by a qualified archery group selected via archery hunt lotto. Qualified archery
groups are comprised of ethical, experienced bow hunters with superior marksmanship and skill.
The careful screening of each archery group, as well as overall monitoring and oversight of the
Archery Program, is the responsibility of the Fairfax County Wildlife Biologist (Fairfax County
Police Department – Animal Services Division).
HOMICIDE: Police responded for a report of a shot person at 6810 Field Master Drive on
Sunday, September 12 around 10 p.m. Officers located the body of 48-year-old Stephen Carr
with an apparent gunshot wound to the upper body. Police have charged David Patton, 44, 9140
Conservation Way, with murder. It appears the victim and suspect were known to each other.
