🌱 Local Boy Arrested + Loudoun Brewers Presents $31K To AFSP

Hello all. I'm here with your fresh copy of the Leesburg Patch newsletter, filled with everything you need to know about what's happening locally.

But first, your local weather:

• Friday: Pleasant with periods of sun. High: 73 Low: 53.
• Saturday: A shower and thunderstorm. High: 75 Low: 56.

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Here are the top three stories today in Leesburg:

1. Police claim that a boy from Purcellville who was found with a gun on May 8 threatened to kill a classmate at Blue Ridge Middle School, posed for pictures on May 6 with a semi-automatic rifle, and is linked to the Leesburg-based MS-13 gang. Soon after leaving his unit in the ReNew Purcellville apartment complex at 119 N. 16th St., Purcellville police and members of the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office SWAT team arrested the child without incident; they said he had a 9-mm semi-automatic weapon on him. According to a search warrant, the boy allegedly threatened to kill a member of the Winchester "55 Bunch" gang prior to being arrested. The boy was upset because a video showing him being assaulted at a carnival had surfaced online. (Loudoun Times-Mirror)
2. According to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office, at 2:10 a.m. on May 17, a fight in Sterling was reported, and an unnamed man was taken to the hospital with stab wounds to his abdomen. According to an LCSO incident report, the man was discovered in the parking lot of the Tipicos Los Amigos restaurant at 46950 Community Plaza off Leesburg Pike. His injuries were described as non-life-threatening, and the attack's motivation was not stated. Anyone with information on the stabbing is asked to call Detective Michael A. Grimsley at 703-777-1919. People can also submit a tip through the LCSO app. (Loudoun.gov)
3. Following a campaign that began last autumn, 13 brewers in Loudoun County raised $31,761.78 and recently gave a check to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). "You Are Not Alone," a collaboration beer brewed by the Loudoun County Brewers Association, was distributed, and sold by Bear Chase, Belly Love Brewing, Beltway Brewing Co., Black Hoof, Dynasty, Hillsborough Farm Brewery, Loudoun Brewing Co., Ocelot, Old 690, Old Ox, Quattro Goombas, Lost Barrel, and Wheatland Spring Farm + Brewery. Tolga Baki, one of the project coordinators and proprietors of Belly Love Brewing in Purcellville and Hillsborough Farm Brewery in Hillsboro, claims that the project's goal is to increase awareness of mental health issues within the community and to raise money for AFSP. (Loudoun Times-Mirror)

From our sponsor:

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Today and tomorrow in Leesburg:

Friday, May 19

• Lucketts Spring Vintage Market At Clarke County Fairgrounds (8:30 AM)
• Pre-K Skill Builders At Rust Library (10:00 AM)
• Movies on the Lawn: The Secret Life of Bees At Douglass Community Center (8:30 PM)

Saturday, May 20

• Community-Wide Yard Sale At Woodlands At Goose Creek Community (8:00 AM)
• Rust Writing Group At Rust Library (3:00 PM)
• Lord Of The Rings Night At Cascades Library (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Congratulations to Team 88880X-Ex Machina, an all-girls robotics team from Rock Ridge High School, who recently won the Design Award in their division at the VEX Robotics World Championship held in Dallas, TX, from Apr. 25 through May 4. The annual event brings together the top robotics teams in the world. More than 800 high school teams from 50 countries participated. (Loudoun Now)
• Save the date! Leesburg’s free downtown summer concert series, Summer Jams, held on the Town Green, 25 W. Market St., returns June 3 at 7 p.m. The series, which was once known as Acoustic on the Green, will be held almost every Saturday through August. (Loudoun Now)
• The town of Leesburg is getting its first female police chief, Major Thea Pirnat, who brings more than 20 years of experience to the department from nearby Fairfax. Major Pirnat started her career with the Fairfax County Police Department almost 23 years ago. She will be sworn in as LPD's first female chief of police in an official ceremony in July! (Leesburg Police Department via Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured businesses:

• Young Scholars Circle — (Visit website)

Featured events:

• Sterling Community Yard Sale!! (May 20)
• Riverside High School 5K Fundraiser American Heart Association (May 21)
• Troy Engle & Southern Skies - Free Concert (May 21)
• T-Mobile Tuesdays: Get Free Stuff And Great Perks Every Week (May 23)

Alrighty, you're all caught up for today. I'll catch up with you soon with another update!

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.