News and notes from Reston (tm).

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

The Surest Sign Spring Has Returned to Reston: Perverts on the Paths

What was it that Chaucer said about spring? "Whan that Avril with his shoorez soteeh/Perverts return to the pathes in Reston." Sorry, it sounds better in Middle English. But this fancy "electronic mail" has been making the rounds this morning:

Please share this email with anyone who uses the Reston paths.

I was on a walk last night about 7pm. I started at the basketball courts, behind Hunting Horn, near the beaver area and went right, towards Twin Branches. There were lots of families, dog walkers and runners on the path at the time. I saw many people, including a young woman about my age walking alone, like me.

I walked up the path and when I got to the bridge that crosses the Glade Stream I stopped for a little bit to watch the birds. While I was there I saw man sitting on the bench a little ways down the path. He was sitting on the bench with a hand in his pocket. Then he was picking up his legs as if stretching and moving around like he had been running. I left the bridge and as I passed him I said hello. He said hello back and I kept going.

A few minuets later the man jogged by me and went up around the bend. Very soon after that the young woman woman whom I had seen walking earlier came walking towards me and asked to use my phone to call the police. She said that the man who had been on the bench had run up behind her and told her "she shouldn't have left" and that he had been "masturbating" while watching her.

This man was in his mid 30's, athletic build, about 5' 7" or 5' 8", light skinned black with tattoos on his legs.
He was wearing a light grey or blue baseball hat, wire glasses, a black athletic shirt, silver and blue shorts down to the knee, and running shoes.

We met the police at the intersection of Glade and Twin Branches and filed a report with Officer Rocco.
He and two other officers went down the hiking trail across Twin Branches to see if the guy was still around.
I do not know if they were able to identify the man.

I think we all could use the reminder that although we live in a generally safe area it is always important to keep safety in the back of our minds. Travel with a buddy when possible and always bring a phone.
Regardless of the details of this incident, that's always good advice.

8 comments:

  1. I flatly deny that I was masturbating anywhere near that place at that time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ...and folks getting their drink on...that's the other sign!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Another sure sign of spring is when there is drunken late night activity on Lake Anne Plaza...

    "... and filed a report with Officer Rocco." Good luck with that. In the past I've been underwhelmed with FCPD in general and Officer Rocco in particular.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What was it that Arcade Fire said about safety in Reston?

    Let’s go down"town" and watch the modern kids
    They will eat right out of your hand
    Using great big words that they don’t understand

    They’re singing:
    Officer Rocco, Officer Rocco, Officer Rocco, Officer Rocco, Officer Rocco, Officer Rocco...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Obviously, as the Hunter Mill supervisor says, we should expect less services from the county and get used to it. What she does foster is more public housing and section 8 housing...which increases crime... but public safety funding has descreased... and there you have it. Less is more.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh yeah, all that section 8 housing with those no good thieving old people at the fellowship house.

    Troll 8:17, why do you think the alleged pervert on the path lives in section 8 housing?

    I think I know why you think that, but it would be interesting to see what you say your reason is.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You've been staring into the basket of breadsticks for too long, HKCD. Troll didn't explicitly say that the perv was from Section 8 housing, and the only implication of such is that it's tied to this thread -- as if threads have never been derailed around here.

    Still, it seems pretty clear to me that, the greater the amount of poverty in an area -- and the presence of Section 8 housing is a sure indicator of that poverty -- the higher the petty crime rate.

    ReplyDelete
  8. All you need to do to see section 8 failures in action, if you are too self-centered and ignorant to see it in your own 'hood, is ask Officer Rocco (or any Reston Station officer of your liking) about Parcher Drive -- on the edge of Herndon but in the FCPD patrol area. Better yet, do a ride-along some weekend night and you will have an enlightening experience.

    Want more enlightenment? Spend a volunteer evening or two with the magistrate at the jail. You will see your section 8 dollars being well spent there too.

    And the point 8:17 made was not about who, but about hudgins' failed Robin-hood mentality.

    There's enough social housing in Reston!

    ReplyDelete

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