Call About White Van "Saved Mrs. Bennett's Life"

Don’t hesitate. Don’t doubt yourself. If you see a situation that makes you uncomfortable, call the police—that was one of the major themes presented by representatives from the Loudoun Sheriff’s Office at a community meeting held at the National Conference Center on March 26.

The Sheriff's Office stops a similar white van traveling in the area.

The event was scheduled in the wake of the brutal assault on Potomac Station residents William and Cynthia Bennett. This incident left William Bennett, 59, dead and his wife in critical condition. The assault, committed by still-unidentified perpetrators, has unnerved the residents of Lansdowne and the surrounding communities. Many of those residents came out to the community meeting seeking information of the crime and seeking a way to ensure the safety of themselves and their families—and in the words of participant “to vent and be heard.”

Between 800 and 900 local residents filled up the Center’s National Ballroom, each concerned over the safety of the area.

Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, very little new information about the attack was released during the meeting—although law enforcement did take the opportunity to again dismiss some rumors that had been traveling throughout the community.

Major Larry Beardsley, Major Robert Buckman and Specialist James Spurlock joined Commonwealth’s Attorney Jim Plowman in answering questions about the many rumors flying around the community about the attack. Sheriff Steve Simpson was unable to attend due to a death in the family. Among the facts presented by the panel included:

Many residents shared concerns about strangers or neighborhood teens in the area of Goose Creek on Riverside Parkway, along with other areas. Beardsley told residents to call the police whenever there is a suspicious circumstance—saying that as residents, the audience at the meeting knew when a situation does not “feel right.” He commended the local resident who noticed the suspicious activity of the van in the neighborhood that led to the discovery of the Bennetts, saying the people who called in “saved Mrs. Bennett’s life.”

•  The incident does not appear gang related, but it cannot be ruled out.
• Every tip and e-mail is being researched by investigators in the Sheriff’s Office in coordination with other agencies
• Rumors of a drug arrest in recent weeks at a site close to the bridge at Goose Creek are false. There was an arrest made for Drunk in Public, but it is not believed to be connected with the attack on the Bennetts.
• While the Sheriff’s Office is pursuing the white work van, there is no information available at the license plate information. There was no ladder on the van and there was no writing on the van.
• Because of witness statements, the Sheriff’s Office believes that there were “three, probably four” assailants. 

Major Beardsley answered several questions about the ongoing safety of the neighborhood—many from residents who did not expect this type of assault in this type of suburban neighborhood. One resident asked about whether she and her friends were safe, jogging together in the morning—asking what he would say, “If I were your wife?”

After a few chuckles from the audience, Beardsley responded that his answer would be, “Take a water bottle so you don’t dehydrate.” It was advice that representative returned to several times:  Be safe, but “Don’t let the thugs run your life.”

A reward fund has been established to assist in the investigation. The Loudoun Crime Commission has already established $21 thousand in the William and Cynthia Bennett Reward Fund, potentially payable to anyone with information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the parties responsible for the attack. Created in cooperation with the Sheriff’s Office, donations to the fund can be made at any Middleburg Bank branch.

Mike Speck of the Loudoun Crime Commission told residents that “each one of these people told at least one person.” The LCC seeks to take advantage of that with the reward that would allow the Sheriff’s Office to break the case. 

Throughout the evening, investigators from the Sheriff’s Office were available to the public. According to Kraig Troxell, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office—a large number of tips were provided to the police over the course of the evening.

Along with representatives from the Lansdowne, Potomac Station and River Creek homeowners associations, they also answered questions about what is possible to make the area safer.  

There was unease at the evening meeting, concern over safety and sympathy for the Bennett family, but the community almost uniformly thanked the Sheriff’s Office for their work on the subject. There were numerous suggestions on improving safety in the area, but there was also a pride and sense of community than ran throughout the event.

It will be some time before the events of last Sunday pass from the collective memory of the residents of Lansdowne. Instead, some residents are choosing remembrance as part of the process that returns strength to the community. Residents are planning a “Love They Neighbor Walk” to honor the Bennetts and to take back the event.

Walkers are planning to meet in the parking lot of the Lansdowne Harris Teeter at 5:30 a.m. and walk to the site of the attack. The walk begins at 5:30 a.m.—exactly 1 week from the approximate time that the attack took place.