SHARKS ON THE BASEPATHS: The Colgan baseball team is previewed on page 9
March 20, 2019 | Vol. 18, No. 12 | www.PrinceWilliamTimes.com | 50¢ Covering Prince William County and surrounding communities, including Gainesville, Haymarket, Dumfries, Occoquan, Quantico and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
Rooms paid in cash, secretive guests Police teach local hotel workers to spot human trafficking By Karen Chaffraix Times Staff Writer
For local hotel owners and workers, it is no longer enough to make the beds and clean the bathrooms. Management, maids and clerks must keep their eyes open for signs of human trafficking, a scourge involving mostly young women exploited as commercial sex workers
now surfacing throughout Virginia, including in Prince William County and Manassas. The Hampton Inn near Interstate 66 in Manassas was the scene of the latest effort to educate the public about human trafficking. On a recent Monday morning, 40 hotel managers and employees gathered to hear from Prince William County police officers who specialize in the crime of trafficking.
Suspect human trafficking? Contact:
Hampton Inn’s General Manager Jennifer Decker organized the event. “The only way to stop this is to bring awareness to it,” she said. Attendees came from Dumfries, Manassas, Woodbridge and Gainesville. Neighboring Fauquier County was represented by a contingent from the events venue, Airlie, outside Warrenton.
Prince William County Police: 703-792-6500 Manassas Park Police: 703-361-1136 City of Manassas Police: 703-257-8000 National Human Trafficking Hotline: 888-373-7888
See TRAFFICKING, page 4
Prince William School Board poised to give itself a raise By Jill Palermo
Times Staff Writer
The Prince William School Board is poised to more than double its salary next year, boosting annual pay from $12,000 to $26,520 for members elected from each of the county’s seven magisterial districts and from $13,100 to $28,520 for its at-large chairman. The raises won’t be official until the Prince William County Board of Supervisors approves the school division budget in April, and they won’t take effect until the new school board is sworn in on Jan. 1, 2020. But the current board took a non-binding “straw poll” vote during a budget work session Wednesday, March 13, to effectively approve the raises, which are included in the $1.1 billion operating fund budget Superintendent Steven Walts proposed for
Freedom H.S. ‘Soul Squad’ marches in NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade
PHOTO BY JASON MUN: GROUPPHOTOS.COM
Members of Freedom High School’s “Soul Squad” Marching Band marched in the 258th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City Saturday, March 16. Pictured are Michael Moore, the band’s drum major, center; Jennifer Alvarado, left, and dancer Christa DiCardi-Nelson, partially pictured in back.
See SCHOOL BOARD, page 4
INSIDE Calendar.............................................12 Classified............................................16 Lifestyle..............................................11 Obituaries...........................................15
Opinion.................................................6 Puzzle Page..........................................8 Real Estate..........................................14 Sports...................................................9
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Prince William Times | www.princewilliamtimes.com | March 20, 2019
Newspapers in Education Program
State police teach groups to defend against mass attacks By Robin Earl
Times Staff Writer
Teachers deliver valuable information through our Newspapers in Education Program. From art, math, social studies, to local events, the creative lessons our teachers present using the Prince William Times makes it an indispensable teaching tool...a living textbook enabling students at all levels to develop good reading skills while gaining an understanding of their community and the world around them. Thank You to our Prince William Times Newspaper in Education Partners for providing newspapers to Prince William County classrooms every week.
Faced with an unexpected attack from an armed gunman, what would you do: Run? Hide? Fight back? Those were among the questions Virginia State Police Sgt. Ronchez Hancock and 1st Sgt. Ken Blank discussed with about 30 people gathered in the sanctuary of Nokesville United Methodist Church recently for their “Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events” training. Hancock said that the training, a free, two-hour course, is designed to encourage people to consider what they can do if they are threatened by someone whose goal is to cause mass casualties. CRASE training explains that everyone will have a choice to make: avoid (run), deny (hide) or defend (fight). “It’s going to depend on the circumstances. I can’t make that choice for you.” Hancock said. The training, conducted Sunday, March 10, came before last week’s mass shooting at a New Zealand mosque that killed 49 people. But the police officers discussed other mass-casualty events – shootings, stabbings and vehicular crashes – to illustrate the most effective ways to limit injuries and deaths. During the active-shooter situation at Virginia
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ISSN 1050-7655, USPS 188280 Published every Wednesday by Piedmont Media LLC How to reach us ADDRESS: 41 Culpeper Street Warrenton, Virginia 20186 PHONE: 540-347-4222 FAX: 540-349-8676 HOURS: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 24-hour answering service Publisher Catherine M. Nelson, 540-300-4780 cnelson@fauquier.com NEWSROOM Managing Editor Jill Palermo, 540-351-0431 jpalermo@fauquier.com Web/Copy Editor Amanda Heincer, 540-878-2418 aheincer@fauquier.com
Tech in 2007, a student shot 49 people on campus with two semi-automatic pistols, killing 32 and wounding 17. He went from classroom to classroom and opened fire. In one classroom, explained Hancock, a teacher held the door closed long enough for some students to jump out of the second-story window. The teacher and one student in that classroom were killed but several were able to escape. In another classroom, some students lay down on the ground and held the door closed with their feet. The shooter shot through the door, but no one was injured. Hancock said the massacre showed there were steps the potential victims took that saved lives. He explained that when faced with such a terrifying situation, some people will just freeze, “Your heart rate goes up and you can’t think clearly.” He said that if people can be trained to consider their options ahead of time, they may be able to stay calm and act to protect themselves or others in the face of danger. The state police offer the CRASE training to any groups that request it. Because several mass shootings have occurred in places of worship, church groups are a natural choice for the course, he said. Blank said, “If something happens in the middle of a church service, you have to decide, is there something you can do to hamper or delay their efforts until the police get there? My choice is, I’m not going to sit there and wait. I’m going to do something. That’s my choice. You have to make your own choice.” A woman in the audience suggested, “Throw the Bible at ’em.” “That’s right,” Blank laughed, “Throw the word at them. If you had 30 Bibles coming right at your face, it might be tough to shoot anything.” To schedule a training session for your church or organization, contact Sgt. Brent Coffey at 540-881-0023 or brent.coffey@vsp.virginia.gov Reach Robin Earl at rearl@fauquier.com
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Prince William Times | www.princewilliamtimes.com | March 20, 2019
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2 Grays join GOP race for county board
COURTESY PHOTO
COURTESY PHOTO
Davon Gray, pictured here with Ed Gillespie, a former Republican candidate for Virginia governor and U.S. Senator, has announced his candidacy for the Potomac District seat on the Prince William Board of Supervisors. Gray will face fellow GOP candidate Doug Taggart in the May 4 primary.
John Gray, no relation to Davon Gray, has also announced his candidacy for the Prince William County Board of Supervisors. Gray is running for the GOP nod for board chairman against longtime Coles District Supervisor Marty Nohe.
Former Democrat Davon Gray seeks GOP nod in Potomac The race for the Republican nomination in Prince William County’s Potomac supervisor district attracted some political firepower last week. Former gubernatorial and U.S. Senate nominee Ed Gillespie endorsed GOP hopeful Davon Gray at an event Saturday. “There’s no one more prepared to lead for the Potomac District than Davon Gray,” Gillespie told a small crowd at the Ashland neighborhood clubhouse. Gray, senior director of political affairs at the American Institute of Architects, will face Doug Taggart in a Saturday, May 4, firehouse primary for the GOP nod for the Potomac District seat, which will be open with the pending retirement of longtime county Supervisor Maureen Caddigan, also a Republican. The winner will square off with the Democratic nominee, likely to be Andrea Bailey, who declared her candidacy last summer and does not currently face an opponent in the June 11 primary. Gray, 46, is a former Democrat who previously ran for supervisor and for the House of Delegates and worked in the Clinton White House as a staff assistant. He said he changed parties after being approached in 2007 to work with the late U.S. Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign. Gray, who grew up in Mississippi, wrote a regular op-ed column for the News & Messenger daily newspaper, which closed in 2012. He has a platform that includes the issues of transportation, education and public safety. On transportation, Gray says he wants to see more spaces at carpool parking lots. He’s a commuter and says lots are so jammed now that some people are forced to park illegally. “All they’re trying to do is get
By Jonathan Hunley Contributing Writer
John Gray tries again, this time for county chairman
This time, John Gray says he realto work, and, I mean, we just don’t ly wants to win. have the spaces,” he said. Gray, a Lake Ridge certified pubOn education, Gray wants to make sure that the school system re- lic accountant, unsuccessfully ran for chairman of Prince William’s tains good teachers. “I don’t want teachers to come Board of County Supervisors in in, stay a year or two, find some- 2011 as an independent. But he said last thing better and then they’re off to another GOP firehouse primary: week that he knew he Saturday, May 4 wouldn’t succeed in place,” he said. 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. that election. He difOn public safety, fered with eventual Gray said he wants to make sure that the police depart- winner and current Chairman Corey ment retains quality officers instead Stewart, a Republican, and simply of losing them to other jurisdictions. wanted to provide an alternative. “I willingly knew I wasn’t going to He said the department should target communities that have issues with win, but I felt I had a message,” he said. Now, however, Stewart is not seekcrime. He also believes neighborhood ing re-election, and Gray, 67, is running for the GOP nomination for the chairwatch programs are important. “I believe that community polic- man’s job against Coles District Suing starts with a good neighborhood pervisor Marty Nohe, 48. The pair will watch and a good set of officers that square off in a firehouse primary set for Saturday, May 4, to decide who will people are familiar with,” he said. In an interview after he gave a face likely Democratic nominee Ann short speech, Gillespie said Gray Wheeler and independent Don Scogis a great candidate, someone who gins in the general election. Gray also has run for Occoquan Discares about the place he’s lived for trict supervisor and to represent the dis23 years. “He’s not running because he trict on the school board in 2015. Conwants to be something. He wants to sidering his record, Gray’s candidacy for the county’s at-large chairman spot do something,” he said. That has been shown by Gray’s may seem like a long shot coming as it past service in the Army National does against a longtime supervisor. Gray said he likes Nohe but disGuard, Gillespie said, and his current roles as an ordained minister at agrees with his positions. For example, he said Nohe and Grace Church in Dumfries, and on the police citizen’s advisory board his fellow supervisors have apand the county board of equalization. proved too much residential devel“He’s just lived a life of service,” opment without an eye toward what he said of Gray, who is married and infrastructure would be necessary to serve those new homes. has two daughters. “The last 16 years, Marty Nohe That service began when Gray was but 8 years old and became a has effectively approved every sincaregiver to his grandmother. She got gle development that’s come before him into politics, and now, if elected, him without any plan whatsoever for he would be one of the first African infrastructure to be addressed before Americans elected to the Prince Wil- that housing development starts,” liam Board of Supervisors, as also he said, mentioning road improvements, schools and public safety. would be the case for Bailey. Gray said he would look to be pro“I was made to serve,” Gray told the crowd Saturday. “It’s the only active with infrastructure and he would pay for it by borrowing against the reason God put me on this Earth.”
county’s investment portfolio of $1.5 billion. That could be used for collateral as in a home equity line of credit. Nohe, though, said that the investment portfolio is to be used for emergencies only. When the county wants to borrow money, it issues bonds, he said. “It would certainly never happen that way,” was his response to the scenario Gray described. And he disagreed with Gray, saying that he has been an active supervisor, bringing more than $800 million in road and transit funds to the county in the past six years through the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority. The NVTA allocates state tax money for transportation raised through slightly higher sales and other taxes raised in Northern Virginia. Nohe has chaired the NVTA since 2009. The Coles District supervisor said he would put his record up against anyone’s. “I will take the Pepsi Challenge on that every day,” he said. In addition to the issue of infrastructure, Gray said he’s concerned that if Democrats had their way, they would rescind the 287(g) program in Prince William, named for the section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that authorizes local sheriff’s deputies to perform immigration-enforcement functions. Without it, Prince William would effectively be a “sanctuary” county for illegal immigrants, Gray said. “I will fight that tooth and nail,” he said. The Prince William-Manassas Adult Detention Center is the only entity in the entire Commonwealth of Virginia that currently has a 287(g) memorandum of agreement with ICE for immigration-enforcement purposes. That MOA expires June 30, 2019, according to ICE records. Gray is married and has four adult children and three grandchildren. He has lived in Prince William for 31 years. Reach Jonathan Hunley at news@ fauquier.com