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Charges filed against Fairfax man
The case of a Fairfax man accused of hitting a Virginia state trooper with a motor vehicle as the crowd left the Virginia Gold Cup races last month has been forwarded to a Fauquier County grand jury.
Court records show the most serious charge — assault and battery on a law enforcement officer — was certified to the grand jury after John Hilliard Masterson, 46, appeared in Fauquier County General District Court on Monday.
The prosecution chose not to pursue two other charges — reckless driving on a parking lot and failing to obey a police officer — filed against Masterson on May 3.
Sgt. Franz Mahler of the Area 12 Office in Warrenton said the incident that resulted in the charges happened at approximately 5:45 p.m., in the area of the gate eight exit from the Great Meadow Field Events Center and U.S. 17.
Apparently some type of altercation occurred inside the complex and a sheriff's deputy intervened, Mahler said. When a woman who was involved in the altercation did not comply with the deputy's orders, the trooper went to help, Mahler added.
The driver of the car the woman was in, who was later identified as Masterson, also failed to comply with the trooper's orders to stop and exit the vehicle, Mahler said. Masterson allegedly kept driving and struck the trooper, who was dragged "for several seconds."
The trooper, who was from another area, had been assigned to assist local authorities at Gold Cup. He sustained non life-threating injuries and was not transported to the hospital, Mahler said.
A sheriff's deputy charged the woman, who was identified as Assunta, Gina Crocenzi, 43, of Fairfax, with assault and battery, obstruction of justice with threats or force and disorderly conduct.
She is scheduled to appear in Fauquier County General District Court June 19.
E-mail the reporter: abogdanovic@timespapers.com
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