The Takoma Park Police Department’s Winter Coat Drive has collected over 600 winter coats and over 200 other items in this year’s campaign. The annual coat drive, which began November 2 and ended December 18, was held in partnership with Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington and other local charities.
Takoma Park Mayor Kate Stewart has issued a statement in response to news of a Takoma Park police officer’s arrest for sexual abuse of a minor. Citing court documents, WJLA-TV last week reported that 42-year-old Eric Mueller had been arrested in a case involving a 17-year-old female juvenile that occurred shortly before Thanksgiving.
The Montgomery County Parks Police are seeking the identity of a woman seen in a video vandalizing painted community picnic tables at the gazebo in Takoma Park.
The Takoma Park Police Department has issued a notice of a missing person it deems “critical.” Eighty-year-old Hector Ray Robinson, who the department also describes as “vulnerable,” was last seen in the 7600 block of Maple Avenue.
Lidl will hold a grand opening of a new store in Takoma Park on Wednesday, Dec. 9, according to the company’s website. The operators will cut the ribbon at 7:15 a.m. at its location on 6881 New Hampshire Ave., the former home of a Shoppers Food Warehouse. The doors will open at 8 a.m. and the first 100 customers will receive a gift card worth anywhere from $5 to $100 each.
Holiday shoppers and gift givers now can buy the Shop Takoma e-Gift Card for use at area businesses, according to an announcement from Main Street Takoma. The e-cards are currently accepted at more than 20 restaurants, shops and service businesses in Takoma Park and the Takoma neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
A county police officer with the Holiday Task Force stopped three men on Nov. 29 after a traffic violation in the Takoma Park area who were then charged with offenses including driving under the influence and handgun possession. The officer observed the incident in the area of University Boulevard East and Merrimac Drive.
Great Shoals Winery Tasting Room, which opened in Takoma Park in 2018, will close at the end of the year and the space taken over by a shop featuring bubble tea, according to an announcement from Main Street Takoma. Leandra Nichola, a longtime Takoma Park resident, will open Main Street Pearl at 7050 Carroll Ave. serving bubble tea and other “bubble” drinks including beer, wine, cider, kombucha and scratch soda.
The Takoma Park Police Department has been accepted into a program to train officers in strategies and tactics to help law enforcement officers prevent misconduct and reduce officer mistakes, among other goals. The Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement Project, an initiative of Georgetown University’s Law Center, includes more than 60 other law enforcement agencies, along with statewide and regional training academies chosen to participate in the ABLE Project’s national rollout.