Crime

Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, Judge Chris Fogleman sentenced defendant, John Tomlinson, 29, to 30 years suspend all but 15 years in prison. Ten of those years are mandatory meaning he won’t be eligible for parole until after then. Judge Fogleman also ordered 5 years supervised probation upon Tomlinson’s release. Tomlinson pleaded guilty to charges of attempted second-degree murder and prohibited person in possession of a firearm on August 25th. This stems from an incident on Dec. 13, 2021 at 2:14 a.m. in the area of Thayer Avenue and Manor Lane (video below).

A man, later identified as John Tomlinson, saw a driver collide with his friend’s vehicle parked on Manor Lane. As Tomlinson’s friend engaged in an altercation with the driver, Tomlinson ran down the street, retrieved a handgun from another vehicle and then returned to the scene firing off nine gunshots, hitting the vehicle, street signs and at least five businesses on Bonifant Street. Miraculously no one was injured. Video from a Tesla parked nearby was used along with area surveillance video to identify Tomlinson and he was in possession of a firearm when he was arrested the following month.


Gaithersburg

Back in April, we let you know that Macondo Food Express would be coming to Gaithersburg. The restaurant has opened at 811 Russell Ave in Gaithersburg. The Colombian restaurant has taken the space that was formerly home to Perroloco (also Colombian), which closed in the spring of 2020.

The menu offers items such as empanadas, pastel de yuca, a variety of arepas, twice-fried smashed green plantains, meat skewers, many different types of perros calientes (hotdogs), burgers, and a lot more. The restaurant is currently offering 10% off of your first order if you order online.


Crime

Per the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland: A criminal complaint has been filed charging Mikiyas Maryie Kefyalew, a/k/a “Mick”, age 24, of Silver Spring, Maryland, with distribution of fentanyl resulting in the death of a minor victim.  The criminal complaint was unsealed upon his arrest on September 16, 2022.  The defendant had his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt on September 16, 2022 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ajmel A. Quereshi and was detained pending trial.

The criminal complaint was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Washington Division; Chief Marcus Jones of the Montgomery County Police Department; and Chief T. N. Treschuk of the Rockville City Police Department.


Education

Superintendent Monifa B. McKnight will hold a media briefing on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 2:30 p.m. to discuss enhanced security measures for MCPS athletic events.

WHAT: In-person Media Briefing with MCPS Superintendent, Dr. Monifa B. McKnight


Education

Per MCPS: MCPS has 147 semifinalists in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship competition. The semifinalists will compete nationally for scholarships that will be announced in the spring. The competition is sponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corp.

The MCPS semifinalists come from 13 high schools: Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Montgomery Blair, Winston Churchill, Col. Zadok Magruder, Northwest, Poolesville, Richard Montgomery, Sherwood, Springbrook, Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Walt Whitman and Thomas S. Wootton.


Restaurants

The Breakfast Club plans to open at the end of October at 8240 Fenton Street in Downtown Silver Spring, according to a report by Source of the Spring. The restaurant, which will feature breakfast all day, but will also have lunch and dinner menu items, is inspired by “Papa Sherman” who is owner Jason Miskiri’s father.

The Breakfast Club’s menu will include omelets, French toast stuffed with cream cheese and strawberries, and pancakes, according to a previous report by Bethesda Beat “Additionally, there will be heavier entrees, such as lamb chops, chicken and waffles, and shrimp and grits.”


Bethesda

The founders of Honest Tea, which was founded in Bethesda, have launched their latest venture– Just Ice Tea. “We are excited to bring you our new line of delicious, organic and fair trade certified bottled teas with unsweetened and just sweet enough options.”

Coca-Cola announced in May that it would be phasing out the Honest Tea line from its portfolio. Bethesda resident Seth Goldman cofounded the drink company in 1998 and was its CEO until 2015– when he stepped back and  became executive chairman of Beyond Meat. In June Goldman stated that he would be re-entering the bottled tea business with the announcement of his new line, Just Ice Tea.


Takoma Park

In the process of clearing the site for the Takoma Maryland Library reconstruction project, the Philadelphia & Maple Ave Capital Bikeshare Station (#32010) will be temporarily removed and placed into storage for the duration of the construction. The station will be removed on Wednesday, October 5.

City and County staff identified a number of potential alternative locations, both near the Community Center and elsewhere in the community. However, none met the engineering, safety, or connectivity criteria for the Capital Bikeshare program.


Business

Today, Concept3D, the leader in location-driven virtual experiences, announced the acquisition of Silver Spring’s Localist (8484 Georgia Ave #675), the leading event calendar platform for higher education communities. With the platform integration, universities will have the ability to create an elevated, university-branded experience for student events, interactive mapping, virtual tours, and more within one, centralized platform.

Per the press release: “Localist and Concept3D have a shared belief that events and in-person connections are key to building community, ultimately making a student experience better the first day they step onto campus,” said Gordon Boyes, CEO of Concept3D. “By bringing our solutions together, combining people, community, and location, users can easily connect, driving engagement and fostering togetherness.”


Crime

Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, Judge Sharon Burrell sentenced defendant, Biet Van Tran, 65, to life without the possibility of parole on the charge of first-degree murder of victim, Linh Pham, 23, and to an additional 55 years in prison for two counts of attempted first-degree murder for the stabbing attacks on Quy Luc, 32, and Thi Nyguen, 22.

The stems from an incident in May of 2020. The COVID pandemic was underway, and the three victims planned a trip from their home in Florida to visit the D.C. area. On May 9th, 2020, they drove to Luc’s mother’s home at 911 Balmoral Drive in Silver Spring, Maryland. She had recently had a stroke and was staying in a rehabilitation center but her boyfriend, the defendant, was still living in the home. Luc also planned to assist with arrangements for his mother.


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