Residents, officials sound off on Sterling Park violence
By Jana Wagoner
Note: The Sterling Park residents interviewed for this story asked to remain anonymous, so they have been assigned the fictitious names of John Smith and Jane White.
When John Smith was a young boy growing up in Sterling Park in the 1980s, he would ride his bike around for hours in the evenings.
His parents never worried as long as he was home by dark.
Six months ago, Smith moved his family from Ashburn to Sterling Park because of its affordable housing.
But with the recent escalation in violence in and around their new neighborhood, Smith said his wife is afraid to even take their children to the park.
Since June 1, Sterling Park has seen eight violent crimes, including a slaying, two attempted sexual assaults, and most recently, a stabbing and two shootings.
Only two people have been arrested. Martin Jose Morales-Mancia, 24, of no fixed address, has been charged in the Aug. 29 attempted sexual assault of an elderly woman in her home on Ironwood Road, and an arrest was made in the June 22 robbery and baseball bat attack.
However, a suspect has been named in the Sept. 14 stabbing of a 25-year-old man near North Amelia Street. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is looking for Carlos Popo Hernandez, of no fixed address, in that case. If you know his whereabouts, call the Sheriff's Office at 703-777-0475.
Loudoun County Sheriff Steve Simpson said his office is actively investigating all of the open cases in Sterling Park. Many also are being investigated by the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force.
Simpson said the June 7 slaying of Danilo Jose Ramirez-Vega, 26, and the Sept. 17 drive-by shooting that injured three could be gang-related.
Investigators believe the double shooting of two teens Sept. 13 could be domestic in nature, Simpson said.
The double shooting on North Argonne Avenue was close to Smith's house.
He and his family were trying to get home that night, but police had the area blocked off. Smith said he told deputies that he lived nearby, but he was unhappy with their demeanor toward him. He also said they withheld information about what was happening.
“If [the police] want to get the community on their side, they need to be a little nicer,” Smith said.
The drive-by triple shooting Sept. 17 happened in Jane White's neighborhood. She has lived there for 18 years and said she knows all three men who were injured.
According to White, there has been a conflict for more than a year between one of the victims and another person in the Sterling Park community.
“Both of these individuals have gang associations, but this wasn't about a gang fight,” she said.
She said the two have physically fought each other, but it had never escalated to the use of weapons.
At least not until last Wednesday night.
The other two victims were caught in the line of fire, White said. She added that one of them, who is well-liked in the community, may be paralyzed from the waist down.
Simpson said all of the victims in the Sept. 13, Sept. 14 and Sept. 17 attacks are expected to survive.
For Smith, knowing that most of the Sterling Park attacks are not random offers little consolation, because there's always the possibility of being caught in the middle.
“You never know when you'll happen to walk by the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said.
Unlike Smith's family, White is not afraid to leave her house with her family. She said most of the young men who hang out near her house are just good friends, and they don't cause any problems.
“There's a great deal of love amongst these kids,” she said.
However, she doesn't understand why today's youth are so much bolder than they used to be.
“The kids now are different than when my husband and I were running around,” White said. “Now, when people fight, they're whipping out guns and knives and killing each other.”
She said she wishes there were more activities near Sterling Park for people in the 18-20 age range, maybe an under-21 dance club.
Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio (R-Sterling) said he is happy with the way Sterling residents have mobilized to stand up to illegal activity in their community. They are filing zoning complaints and calling the Sheriff's Office when they see anything suspicious.
Delgaudio said he would like to see even better communication between the community, the Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff's Office, including a feature on the Sheriff's Web site where residents can file anonymous tips. That way, cases can be built against criminals in the area.
Delgaudio also would like to see the county's planning and zoning department shut down overcrowded “boarding houses” in Sterling Park, where he believes many of the criminals are staying.
He said that as Sterling's supervisor, he is going to be pushier, nosier and more proactive than ever.
“When I get bad news, [residents] will find out as soon as I get the bad news,” he said. “I have to tell people the way this is. Being silent has gotten Sterling nowhere. We have to engage; we have to report.”
Contact the reporter at jwagoner@timespapers.com