Monday, October 1, 2012
Tommy Edwards got into Muay Thai to lose weight but has gained a desire to become a professional MMA fighter.
Tommy Edwards picked up Muay Thai about seven years ago to shed some extra pounds. What he didn't expect was finding another career in the process. Somewhere between dropping nearly half of his body weight — going from a hefty 310 pounds to a trim 170 pounds — Edwards, 27, developed a passion for the mixed martial art. With a 2-4 amateur record, the former Yorktown High School football player is looking at his professional debut in Thailand next April. Wearing his lucky shorts Thursday and drenched in sweat, Edwards sparred for several rounds with Seth Batbayar inside the Alexandria MMA gym. The two went back and forth exchanging hits, kicks and the occasional headlock. Friends for three months, the former offensive and defensive lineman …
Thursday, June 28, 2012
High Court ruled 5-4 today to uphold what some call 'Obamacare.'
Area leaders were quick to react today to the news that the Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama's health reform law. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R): "Today's Supreme Court ruling is extremely disappointing for Virginia and for America. The PPACA will create a costly and cumbersome system that will impair our country's ability to recover from these challenging economic times, infringes on our citizen's liberties, will harm small businesses, and will impose dramatic unfunded mandates on Virginia and all states. Simply put, this is a blow to freedom. America needs market-based solutions that give patients more choice, not less." (For the governor's full statement, visit his Web site.) On his Twitter feed, the governor wrote: "Simply …
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Families look to getting their lives back on track.
After an Arlington County jury recommended a 22-year sentence for convicted sex offender Michael Gardner, the parents of one of his victims said they hoped the children Gardner attacked would grow up to be brave, strong citizens. Their daughter was 9 years old when Gardner sexually abused her during a slumber party for his daughter. The girl, now 10, struggles with trust issues, her parents said. They called the attack a life-changing act. “I can face my children now and say there’s been justice,” the mother said outside the Arlington County Courthouse on Wednesday. Gardner was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of object sexual penetration Wednesday. Judge Benjamin Kendrick said Gardner will formally be …
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Gardner will be formally sentenced Sept. 7.
Update (5:47 p.m.): An Arlington County jury recommended convicted sex offender Michael Gardner spend 22 years in prison. He will be formally sentenced Sept. 7. Gardner was found guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual assault and a count of object sexual penetration Wednesday afternoon. Original post (3:23 p.m.): An Arlington County jury will decide what punishment to give Gardner after he was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual battery and a single count of object sexual penetration. Judge Benjamin Kendrick ruled a mistrial in the third aggravated sexual battery charge because the jury could not come to a unanimous decision. Kendrick said each aggravated sexual battery charge carries a term of one to 20 years. The parents of …
Judge declares mistrial in third aggravated sexual battery charge.
Convicted sex offender Michael Gardner faces five years to life on the single charge of object sexual penetration. An Arlington County jury will decide what punishment to give Gardner after he was convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual battery and a single count of object sexual penetration. Judge Benjamin Kendrick ruled a mistrial in the third aggravated sexual battery charge because the jury could not come to a unanimous decision. Kendrick said each aggravated sexual battery charge carries a term of one to 20 years. The parents of the two young victims read impact statements on the stand Wednesday. “When we talk about this it always brings tears to her eyes,” said the father of one of the 10-year-old victims. “She always says, ‘He …
After more than a day of deliberation, an Arlington County jury found Gardner guilty.
After five days of testimony and evidence, an Arlington County jury found Michael Gardner guilty of two counts of aggravated sexual assault and a count of object sexual penetration Wednesday afternoon. Judge Benjamin Kendrick asked the jury forewoman if she and her colleagues could come to a unanimous decision on a fourth charge but she said they couldn’t. The Circuit Court judge will give the jury more time Wednesday to deliberate on the fourth charge longer. An elated Nicole Wittmann walked from the courtroom smiling after the verdicts were read. Wittmann, the Loudoun County Deputy Commonwealth Special Attorney said she was “very satisfied,” with the verdicts. Kendrick ordered Gardner taken into custody after the verdicts, against the …
Monday, April 30, 2012
Gardner said he never touched girls who accused him.
Falls Church political and civic activist Michael Gardner said in Arlington County Circuit Court on Monday that he has never had sexual interest in children and has never touched one in an inappropriate manner. Gardner, 48, is on trial for allegedly sexually abusing three young girls at his Falls Church home last June — one during a sleepover with his daughter and two more the following night during his daughter's birthday slumber party. The girls were 9 and 10 years old at the time. Gardner's wife, Robin, is a former mayor of Falls Church and a current sitting councilwoman. Her testimony Friday called into question the stories told by the three young girls, according to news reports. During the sleepover, Gardner said he worked until …
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Expert testified in Gardner trial that the defendant’s DNA was present on tested sample.
The defense attorney in the sexual battery trial of Michael Gardner has asked that an expert's testimony be stricken. Gardner's attorney Peter Greenspun made the request after Dr. Mark Perlin told the court that computerized data was first sent to Richmond before reaching his Pittsburgh office. The data, results from tests performed on clothing worn by two alleged minor victims in the case, originated from the Virginia Department of Forensic Science's office in Manassas. Perlin, chief scientist for the Pittsburgh-based Cybergenetics, testified that electronic data sent to his office was put through further computer testing that showed Michael Gardner's DNA represented 25 percent of a DNA mixture found in the underwear of one of his …
Sperm found belongs to victim's father, expert says during Wednesday trial
A forensic scientist testified Wednesday that some sperm found on the clothes of a young girl in the Michael Gardner sexual battery case does not match Gardner's DNA. Instead, Kelly Loynes said the sample matches that of the girl’s father. But Loynes, with the Virginia Department of Forensic Science, said Gardner could not be excluded because his DNA matched that found elsewhere. Gardner is on trial for sexual abuse allegations made against him by three young girls, two of whom say they were attacked during a June 2011 slumber party for Gardner's daughter. A man who was a guest in Gardner’s home during the sleepover has been excluded through DNA testing, Loynes said. Loynes and three city of Falls Church police officers testified …
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Girl says Gardner touched her four times during slumber party.
For a second day, the prosecution in the Michael Gardner sexual battery trial called a young witness to the stand to testify. The 11-year-old witness said she was at the June 2011 slumber party for Gardner’s daughter and alleges she was touched in a sexual manner. The girl said she was asleep in the basement of Gardner’s home when, in the wee hours on June 19, she says Gardner fixed the comforter covering her, which awakened her. The girl testified that she thanked the man and she went back to sleep. The girl alleged that Gardner returned to the basement, touched her vagina outside her pajamas then retreated upstairs before repeating the act a second time. The girl said Gardner then returned a third time to touch her but she rolled over …
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