VIRGINIA BRIEFING

Saturday, July 19, 2008

LOUDOUN COUNTY

Deputies to Check Suspects' Immigration Status

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said yesterday that it has received clearance from federal authorities to begin checking the immigration status of people arrested in the county if deputies suspect they are in the United States illegally.

Three members of the sheriff's gang intelligence unit recently completed a four-week training program run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Loudoun officials said. The deputies are empowered to begin the deportation process for illegal immigrants who have committed serious crimes, Sheriff Stephen O. Simpson said.

"The agreement [with ICE] clearly states that our intent is to target those involved in gang or other serious criminal activity," Simpson said in a statement. "This program cannot and will not be used for random checks or unsolicited searches."

The program, known as 287(g), has been adopted by more than 50 other law enforcement agencies, including Prince William County's.

-- Bill Brubaker

Fuel Spill Causes Flight Cancellation at Dulles

A flight bound for Los Angeles from Dulles International Airport was delayed for hours and finally canceled after a 15-gallon spill during refueling, authorities said.

American Airlines Flight 149, which originally was scheduled to take off at 9:20 a.m. was being refueled about 4:25 p.m. when the spill occurred. An emergency was declared, and passengers left the plane, authorities said.

The spill was nearly cleaned up by 5 p.m., an airport spokeswoman said. By then, however, federal regulations governing crew work hours forced cancellation of the flight, according to an airline spokeswoman. A detailed explanation of the earlier delays could not be obtained immediately.

"Just a nightmare," said a man who telephoned The Washington Post and described himself as a passenger. He did not give his name.

-- Jonathan Mummolo

MANASSAS

Doctor Charged With Prescription Fraud

An anesthesiologist at Prince William Hospital has been charged with using a former hospital patient's name to obtain medication, Manassas police said yesterday.

Carlos Ocampo, 38, of Fairfax was charged with prescription fraud, grand larceny, identity theft and computer fraud after police learned that he used a patient's name to access medicine, authorities said. Police said they are still investigating.

-- Jonathan Mummolo

U.S. DISTRICT COURT

Armed Robber Sentenced to 93 Years in Prison

A Fairfax County man who was convicted of three armed robberies in Fairfax and Arlington counties was sentenced in federal court yesterday to more than 93 years in prison.

James E. Rose Jr., 35, was arrested in Annandale in February 2007, a month after a string of holdups in the Huntington area and in Arlington by a man with a sawed-off shotgun. Rose was convicted in April by a U.S. District Court jury in Alexandria.

-- Tom Jackman

FAIRFAX COUNTY

Quarantine Placed on Ash Trees and Lumber

Virginia officials have placed a quarantine on ash trees and lumber in Fairfax County to prevent the spread of a beetle known to infest and kill such trees.

The quarantine is a response to an infestation of the emerald ash borer, discovered last week in about 40 trees in Herndon and Newington.

-- Chris L. Jenkins

STATE GOVERNMENT

Superintendent of Public Instruction Resigns

Governor Timothy M. Kaine (D) announced yesterday that Virginia's top education official is resigning after two years on the job.

Billy K. Cannaday Jr. will step down as superintendent of public instruction Sept. 30 to become dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies at the University of Virginia.

Cannaday was appointed by Kaine in April 2006 after leading the Chesterfield school system in suburban Richmond for six years. He was the first African American to head the state's Department of Education.

-- Michael Alison Chandler