SEXUAL ASSAULT ON NEW HAMPSHIRE AVE., ROBBERY IN WHITE OAK + MORE - SILVER SPRING/WHEATON CRIME UPDATE

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across eastern Montgomery County on September 23, according to crime data:

Assault. 2200 block Bel Pre Road (Aspen Hill).

Theft. 3000 block Bel Pre Road.

Theft from vehicle. Georgia Avenue at Randolph Road (Glenmont).

Theft from vehicle. 12000 block Milton Street.

Assault. 2400 block Plyers Mill Road (Wheaton).

Stolen car. 11400 block July Road (White Oak).

Robbery. 11600 block Lockwood Drive (White Oak).

Sexual assault. 10100 block New Hampshire Avenue.

Stolen car. Unit block of Noyes Court.

Burglary. 1300 block Spring Street.

Assault. 1300 block Fenwick Lane.

Assault. 8500 block Colesville Road.

SILVER SPRING RESIDENT COMPETING ON THE VOICE (VIDEO)

Menlik Zergabachew, a 19-year-old from Silver Spring, is a star performer on the current season of NBC's hit series, The Voice. Zergabachew chose Team Gwen (Stefani) over Blake Shelton in the second episode of auditions, when both stars competed to get him on board. Entertainment Weekly praised him for his "appealing" voice, and for bringing a reggae sound to the mix of styles on the show.

HOCKEY COACH WHO STOLE WALLETS FROM WHEATON ICE ARENA HEADED TO SLAMMER

Barry Fig, a Rockville resident and hockey coach, pled guilty to theft and drug charges yesterday in Montgomery County Circuit Court. Fig, 36, was sentenced to 14 months behind bars for crimes that included stealing wallets at local ice rinks, including Wheaton Ice Arena. The cause of Fig's downfall was his addiction to the prescription drug Adderall, according to ABC 7's Kevin Lewis.

ASPEN HILL SOBRIETY CHECKPOINT LEADS TO ARRESTS

Montgomery County Police set up a sobriety checkpoint on Saturday at Veirs Mill and Aspen Hill Roads. According to police, the checkpoint stops led to 6 drivers being arrested for DUI, 4 citations being issued, 57 traffic citations, and 17 auto equipment repair orders. County officers arrested over 3,300 drivers for DUI in 2013, but the issue remains a major concern for police and the public.

METRO TESTING NEW 7000-SERIES RAILCARS ON RED LINE (PHOTOS)

WMATA is finally on something of a timetable to restore automatic train control to its subway system, and the Red Line will be the first route to have it, the Washington Post reported on Sunday. In October, some Red Line trains will begin operating automatically, and all trains will do so by next March, according to the Post report. That long-overdue positive sign wasn't the only big Red Line news this past weekend. Metro tested new 7000-series railcars on the Red Line Saturday and Sunday, between the Twinbrook and Shady Grove Metro stations.

I caught one in action at the Rockville station on Sunday. The train was not accepting passengers during the test run. The 7000-series are manufactured by Kawasaki.

We simply must improve the service and reliability of Metro, if we are to even begin to manage future growth in places like downtown Bethesda, White Flint, Silver Spring and Rockville. Scarce transportation dollars need to go to the projects where they impact the most people, such as 8-car trains for Metro, more capacity on the Red Line (especially north of Grosvenor), and a new Potomac River crossing to relieve congestion on the Beltway and I-270.

TAKOMA PARK HOUSE HOSTS EVENT FOR THOSE SEEKING FREEDOM FOR CUBAN SPIES

A home in Takoma Park held a house meeting for 35 people advocating for the release of the so-called Cuban Five by the U.S. Government. The house meeting, reported by The Militant via Google News, was one of several events surrounding a September 13, 2014 gathering in the District by advocates for the Cuban agents. The five men were arrested in Miami in 1998, and convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage, conspiracy to commit murder, acting as an agent of a foreign government, and other illegal activities in the United States.

The DC-area 3-day event included an art exhibit of works by one of the convicted agents created in prison, lobbying, and picketing, according to The Militant.

There's a minor Montgomery County connection to the Cuban Five case. It had been rumored that the Obama administration considered exchanging the convicted spies for Potomac resident Alan Gross, who has been imprisoned in Cuba for several years. Gross was a USAID subcontractor working to provide communication equipment to Jewish residents of Cuba when he was arrested in 2009.

ASSAULT W/DEADLY WEAPON IN WHITE OAK, STOLEN CAR IN DT SILVER SPRING - SILVER SPRING/WHEATON CRIME UPDATE

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across eastern Montgomery County on September 17, according to crime data:

Theft from vehicle. Bel Pre Court at Bel Pre Road.

Theft from vehicle. 12600 block Dalewood Drive (Connecticut Avenue Estates).

Burglary. 12300 block Selfridge Road.

Assault. 10800 block Georgia Avenue (Wheaton).

Assault. 11300 block Columbia Pike (White Oak).

Assault with deadly weapon. 11500 block Lockwood Drive (White Oak).

Theft from vehicle. 11200 block Lockwood Drive.

Theft from vehicle. 11100 block Oak Leaf Drive (White Oak).

Theft from vehicle. 1500 block Heather Hollow Circle (White Oak).

Assault. 9300 block Warren Street.

Burglary. 9300 block 2nd Avenue.

Assault. 1300 block Fenwick Lane.

Stolen car. 800 block Ellsworth Drive.