Loudoun County news briefs

National Scenic Byway celebrated in Leesburg

The U.S. Department of Transportation recently made the 180-mile corridor of Route 15 from Gettysburg to Monticello a National Scenic Byway. A celebratory whistle-stop tour along the byway, called the Journey Through Hallowed Ground, stopped at Dodona Manor in Leesburg on Oct. 21.

Leesburg Mayor Kristen C. Umstattd and Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chairman Scott K. York (I) spoke during the program.

Along the route are nine presidential homes, 13 sites managed by the National Park Service, 30 historic main street communities and the largest number of Civil War sites in the country.

Free holiday parking in downtown Leesburg

Parking in Leesburg's downtown parking garage and at town-run meters will be free from Nov. 27 through Jan. 1. The town made the announcement Monday, saying the decision to continue the program, which has been in place since 2005, is "in the spirit of the holiday season."

Permit holders will get a credit to their accounts. There are 377 spaces in the parking garage and 71 metered spaces downtown.

Police seek masked man who robbed Sterling bank

An armed man carrying a walking cane and wearing a Halloween mask with large teeth robbed a BB&T Bank in Sterling at 9 a.m. Monday, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said.

The robber got away with an unknown sum. Police are searching for a man about 6 feet tall with a medium build.

Sheriff's office asks for help in search for missing woman

The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office asked for help Monday in locating Philtrisha L. Hendricks, 23, of Ashburn. The woman, known to frequent area women's shelters, hasn't been heard from by her family since Oct. 12.

Police described her as black, 4 feet 11 and 120 pounds. Authorities said she has medical problems.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Investigator K. Poland of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division at 703-777-0475.

Man stabbed in parking lot of elementary school

A 23-year-old Sterling man is in stable condition at Inova Fairfax Hospital after he was stabbed Sunday in the parking lot of Sugarland Run Elementary school, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said. The victim told police a man he didn't know approached him and demanded cash while he was riding his bike about 7 p.m. When the bicyclist refused to hand anything over, he said, the assailant stabbed him.

Police said the attack had no connection to the school. No arrest has been made.

Corrections officer trainees graduate from academy

Three correctional recruits for the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office graduated from the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy on Friday, the department announced Monday.

The next step for Jeanna K. Holler, Jason A. Brewster and Richard Rogers is a month-long in-house training program at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center.

-- Compiled by James Hohmann