Prince William County Police Property Crimes detectives have charged William Russell Griffin, 25, and his accomplice Alexandria Hope Bergman, 19, with multiple burglaries in the Heritage Hunt Community.
According to police, these charges came after retired law enforcement officers, a married couple, reported on July 2, that a suspect was outside their home late at night in the 13600 Block of Heythorpe Court.
“He wore dark clothing, including a mask, and appeared to be sneaking around their home. While calling 911, the couple saw him enter a neighbor's garage, where they confronted him,” police spokesman Officer Jonathan Perok said. “They attempted to hold him until police arrived, but the suspect fought them, kicking and striking both the husband and wife.”
The couple received minor injuries from the struggle; however, they were able to retrieve the suspect’s wallet, which led detectives to Griffin and Bergman, Perok said.
At the time of their arrest, detectives found clothing and other evidence to support additional charges for burglaries on Charismatic Way, Piney Grove Way, as well as a safe stolen from a previously unreported burglary on Ryton Ridge Lane.
On July 31, Griffin was charged with three counts of burglary, two counts of grand larceny and one count of petit larceny. He was previously charged on July 27 with two counts of assault and battery and one count of burglary.
Bergman, of 13456 Victory Gallop Way in Gainesville, was charged with two counts of burglary, one count of grand larceny, one count of petit larceny and one count of conspiracy to commit burglary. On July 27, she was charged with one count of burglary.
The court date for both is set for October 12, 2012. Griffin is being held without bond, while Bergman is being held on a $17,000 secured bond.
Dismayed by Griffin’s history of criminal activity and the light sentencing that he received after his 2011 conviction for 18 residential burglaries in the Montclair area, Prince William County Police Chief Charlie T. Deane expressed concern that such an individual did not receive any significant prison time for the crimes.
“In 2011, a Prince William Circuit Court Judge sentenced Griffin to five years in prison, which was all suspended except the jail time served prior to trial,” said Perok.
According to the Virginia Criminal Sentencing Commission, Griffin’s sentencing was within their recommended guidelines.
“The nighttime breaking and entering into occupied homes by a masked intruder is a troubling and inherently dangerous crime that should result in severe punishment and controls designed to protect the community. That clearly did not occur in the 2011 cases in Montclair. As a result, within months he continued the same crime pattern in the Gainesville area,” Deane said.
Deane said he will formally address this issue with the commission.
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