Vilardo next-door neighbor charged in Rockville double murder (Photo)

Montgomery County Police homicide detectives have reportedly found their man in the horrifying double murder of a Rockville couple. Police say it was the next-door neighbor of Richard and Julianne Vilardo who killed the couple over the Mother's Day weekend last week.

Detectives caught up to Scott Tomaszewski on a cruise ship in Juneau, Alaska on Saturday afternoon eastern time. They say they found evidence, including blood, allegedly tying Tomaszewski to the murders. Tomaszewski is also suspected of having robbed the Vilardos in the past, as well as in burglaries on the street all three call home, Ridge Drive, just last month.

In fact, police report that the Vilardos entrusted Tomaszweski as a house sitter, giving their longtime next-door neighbor access to their home while they traveled.

Tomaszewski has been charged with two counts of first degree murder, two counts of armed robbery, and one count of first degree burglary. Once the extradition process is completed in Alaska, Scott Tomaszewski will be transported to Montgomery County for arraignment.

The Vilardo family has released a statement thanking Montgomery County Police, saying their efforts  have helped them "take the first step on the long road to healing."

Photo courtesy Montgomery County Police

Montgomery County-funded health initiative to reward students with sugary Starbucks drinks

Healthy Montgomery, a Montgomery County Government initiative co-chaired by County Council President George Leventhal (D-At-Large) and largely funded by taxpayers, was chartered to "improve the health and well-being of Montgomery County residents." Among its primary stated goals are the reduction of diabetes and obesity.

So you might be surprised to find that Healthy Montgomery plans to reward county students with gift cards for sugary, fat-filled drinks at Starbucks.

County high school students are invited to a Healthy Montgomery-sponsored "community conversation" at Suburban Hospital on May 21, to "discuss what they think about health and the quality of life in Montgomery County." For attending, the event announcement says, the students will be rewarded with a free "$5 Starbucks drink card". They'll also get a Chipotle gift card.

The most popular Starbucks drinks are loaded with sugar, and are often high in fat, as well. Many have more grams of sugar than the often-demonized 12 oz. Coca-Cola. They certainly exceed the recommended daily intake of sugar.

Chipotle isn't exactly health food, either. The average order at Chipotle comes in at around 1,070 calories, 75% of the recommended daily intake of saturated fat, and a whopping nearly-2,400 milligrams of sodium.

This is not only hypocrisy at taxpayer expense, but absurd when one considers Council President Leventhal's longstanding crusade against fast food restaurants in the county.

In 2008, Leventhal was quoted as saying, "school policies should support parents, and not let junk-food marketers go around parents’ backs directly to young children." Yet, the Healthy Montgomery initiative he co-chairs is literally going around parents' backs, and delivering Starbucks and Chipotle marketing and food "directly to young children." "It’s incredible, the extent to which our kids are subjected to [fast food] advertising," Leventhal told an audience of students and parents in 2007.

Sure, you can absolutely order healthy food and drinks at Starbucks and Chipotle. But you can at McDonald's and Wendy's, as well. Leventhal memorably took a publicity stunt trip to Wendy's, remarking on the nutritional content of the Baconator. He didn't mention that Wendy's also offers a line of salads and baked potatoes that are far healthier than the average Starbucks or Chipotle order.

The county just added new taxes on electronic cigarettes and Airbnb. And as Bill Turque writes in the Washington Post, the just-approved County budget increases spending by about $90 million, and your property tax bill "will tick upward slightly." A new property tax increase is being floated for next year's budget. And a majority of the Council voted to keep the Energy Tax the same, despite having promised to eliminate the massive increase it passed in 2010 in 2012. They lied to taxpayers. Period.

It's amazing that residents will be paying more and new taxes, under a new county budget that is bigger than last year's, and yet there is somehow money left for escapades such as this.

Burning bed at Americana Center evacuates residents

Montgomery County firefighters responded to the Americana Center last night around 9:45 PM, after a mattress caught fire on the 13th floor of the building. A partial evacuation was required due to smoke, according to Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesperson Pete Piringer. Firefighters quickly got the fire under control, however. No injuries were reported.

Rockville adopts new development extension policy

The Mayor and Council approved a new development extension Zoning Text Amendment for Rockville at Monday night's meeting. Under the new regulation, developments that receive extensions from the city can have that time suspended (tolled) while the project is involved in litigation. Once a court decision is handed down, the extension time would resume again.

Developers will also now receive a possible two extensions - the first will be a one-year extension, and the second, a 6-month extension.

Establishing the new policy "gives the applicant an opportunity, and the city, to get all of their ducks in a row. I think this is a good rule for us to have," Councilmember Tom Moore said prior to the vote.

The Mayor and Council voted unanimously to approve the Zoning Text Amendment. A development at 1900 Chapman Avenue filed the ZTA. Its final extension would have expired this August.

Photo: City of Rockville

Vilardo deaths ruled homicides by "sharp force injuries"

Montgomery County Police report that the state medical examiner has ruled the deaths of Richard and Julianne Vilardo of Rockville as "homicides that were caused by sharp force injuries."

Detectives are also investigating new information that Richard and Julianne Vilardo were in the Charles Town, West Virginia area on Saturday evening, May 9. The couple had dinner with friends there, police say. The Vilardos came home that evening, and were found dead by family members the next day at their home on Ridge Drive.

With the ruling of the medical examiner, the possibility that a murderer is at large is now confirmed. Whether that person or persons lives in the area, or remains in the area is a major question - as is the motive in the homicides - in relation to whether this indicates an ongoing danger to the community, or an isolated incident.

Anyone with information regarding the deaths of Richard and Julianne Vilardo is asked to contact Montgomery County Police at 301.279.8000. For those who wish to remain anonymous and be eligible for up to a $10,000 reward, please call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

Adjourned in Rockville, but compensation discussion to continue

Another long Mayor and Council meeting threatened to go beyond the hoped-for 11:00 PM time limit Monday night. That led to what, by my recollection, is a rare occurrence - the Mayor and Council voting in advance to end the meeting by 11:00.

The motion passed 3-2, with Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton and Councilmembers Virginia Onley and Beryl Feinberg voting in favor.

Most of the meeting was taken up with the complex discussion of the Compensation and Classification report regarding city employees. That discussion concluded with Newton and Onley seeking more clarification on at least one point from city staff and the consulting firm. City Manager Barbara Matthews said she did not want to set a date for that continuation before having a better sense of when staff would have that data ready to present.

The meeting was adjourned around 11:00, as voted upon.

Murderer at large in Rockville? Police believe an intruder entered Vilardo home through window

Montgomery County Police released a significant piece of information in the investigation of how a Rockville couple were killed at their home this past weekend. Police officers found Richard Vilardo and Julianne Vilardo dead early Sunday afternoon at their Glen Hills home in the 13200 block of Ridge Drive.

The couple was last known to be alive Saturday night, May 9, detectives say. But they've revealed that the presumed killer may have entered the Vilardo home through an unlocked window. The window in question was not broken, but was likely unlatched, they said.

Results from the state medical examiner in Baltimore are still pending, police said yesterday.

The announcement is troubling for the community, as it suggests the possibility that a killer is at large. However, police are not characterizing the situation that way yet, and we can't say for sure until the medical examiner provides more information. It does sound unlikely that this was a domestic dispute, if there is evidence of a third party intruder. That would indeed be of concern to residents, unless it can be determined that this was not a random act of robbery or home invasion.

Anyone with information regarding the deaths of Richard and Julianne Vilardo is asked to contact Montgomery County Police at 301.279.8000.