Car Chase, Crash Nets Chantilly Burglary Suspect

The man who led state and local law enforcement officers on a car chase Sunday morning before crashing near Sugarland Run has been connected with a series of burglaries including ones in Chantilly.

Victor T. Ellis, 25, of the Hybla Valley area in Fairfax County, was captured in the Herndon area and now faces charges on three counts of burglary, one count of breaking and entering, two counts of grand larceny, one count of credit card larceny and one count of credit card fraud, according to a press release from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.

FCPD charged Ellis with burglary, entering a vehicle to commit a crime, and petit larceny, according to a news release.

Ellis was out on bond waiting to be sentenced for similar burglaries he was charged with in 2012, according to an FCPD affidavit. FCPD said Ellis was living with a girlfriend in Chantilly on Meadowland Court.

The charges were in regards to He allegedly stole a purse and fled. A K-9 team and the helicopter assisted in searching for the suspect, but he was not found.

The arrest came after the suspect led Fairfax County Police officers on a chase Sunday from Fairfax into Loudoun County and crashed near Algonkian Parkway and Hardwood Forest Drive around 6:30 a.m., according to the LCSO release. After the suspect fled on foot, the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and the Virginia State Police then joined Fairfax police and conducted and aerial and ground search.

Fairfax County officers found a suspect at about 10:30 a.m. and took him into custody in Herndon.

Working with the Fairfax police, Loudoun investigators identified the man as Ellis and connected him to burglaries in Loudoun and Fairfax.

The charges relate to four incidents: three in the South Riding area and another in Sterling:

• Jan. 21 – Someone is alleged to have used a remote garage-door opener obtained from an unlocked vehicle to gain entry to a home on Howerton Drive in South Riding; an iPod and wallet reported taken were taken, and the victim’s credit card was later used at stores in South Riding and at a Harris Teeter store in Reston.
• Jan. 21 – Remote garage-door opener obtained from vehicle also believed provide access to home on Dabner Drive in South Riding; change was reported taken from two vehicles.
• Jan. 21 – Sunglasses were taken from a vehicle parked in a garage on Shaler Street in South Riding; it is also believed the suspect used a garage-door opener to gain entry to the home.
• Feb. 28 – Someone damaged a window to gain entry to a home on Darkhollow Falls Terrace in Sterling; jewelry, a laptop and other electronics were reported taken.

LCSO deputies also charged Denisa C. Terry, 31, of Herndon, with breaking and entering related to the investigation.

Terry remains in custody at the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center. Ellis remains in custody at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. The case remains under investigation and additional charges are possible, according to the LCSO release.

Fairfax County Police were investigating the crimes and surmised that the suspect was targeting upscale single family homes and searching for unlocked vehicles and then using garage door openers to gain access to the homes.

FCPD said Ellis was living with a girlfriend in Chantilly on Meadowland Court.

There have been several burglaries in the Fair Oaks and Reston Police Districts as well as Loudoun County which could be related. These cases are still under investigation.

On Jan. 27, a resident on Bradley Acres Court in Herndon awoke to hear the garage door opening; after coming downstairs, the resident noticed the garage door open and a purse missing. The resident's credit card was used at the Fox Mill Exxon just a few minutes later, for $61.21. Police reviewed surveillance video; FCPD reported in an affidavit that "the suspect using the credit card appeared to be a subject by the name of Victor Ellis."

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Solvers by phone at 1-866-411-TIPS/8477, e-mail at www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES/274637 or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

Some of the previous information was supplied by the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office and, where charges were made, does not indicate a conviction. For questions about this article, email dusty@patch.com.