Olin F. Sanders

Olin Frank "Sandy" Sanders (September 30, 1927 - October 6, 2011) was a former Fairfax County Police Officer.

Sanders married Nancy M. Nicastro and together, the couple had two sons, Kenneth W. and Richard G. Sanders.

On March 24, 1954, Sanders' 9-month-old son Richard died after falling 18 inches from the lower bunk of the recently purchased bunk bed at the family apartment in Washington, D.C. [1] It was determined at autopsy that the child suffered from an enlarged thymus gland, which rendered him unusually susceptible to shock.[1]

Private Sanders was the arresting officer in a case where Clinton E. Turner stupidly managed to turn several misdemeanor charges into a felony when Turner offered him a $5.00 bribe following a traffic stop on Route 7 on June 16, 1958.[2]

In May 1966, Lieutenant Sanders became the first commander of the FCPD's Annandale substation, located in a converted house at the intersection of McWhorter Place and Ravensworth Road.[3]

Sanders was promoted to Captain in January 1967.[4] Captain Sanders' 12-year career with the FCPD came to an abrupt end when he resigned on June 7, 1967 after being charged with being an accessory to a botched abortion that resulted in the death of 30-year-old police stenographer Barbara A. Smith on May 28.[4]

On March 27, 1976, Sanders' home at 3603 Kirkwood Drive in the Mantua neighborhood of Fairfax became the scene of tragedy when a 10-year-old child from the Northern Virginia Training Center for the Mentally Retarded, on a trip to visit the nearby Mantua Elementary School, somehow managed to get past the 7-foot stockade fence surrounding the home's swimming pool and drown.[5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "18-Inch Fall Causes Fatal Gland Injury." The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959): 1. Mar 26 1954. ProQuest. Web. 27 Dec. 2013.
  2. ↑ "Virginian Admits Attempt to Bribe Fairfax Officer." The Washington Post and Times Herald (1954-1959): 1. Oct 14 1958. ProQuest. Web. 27 Dec. 2013.
  3. ↑ "Fairfax County Police to Open New Substation at Annandale." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): P8. ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-1995). May 01 1966. Web. 21 Apr. 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Area Police Captain Charged." The Washington Post, Times Herald (1959-1973): 1. Jun 08 1968. ProQuest. Web. 27 Dec. 2013.
  5. ↑ "Fairfax Boy Drowns in Private Pool." The Washington Post (1974-Current file): 24. Mar 28 1976. ProQuest. Web. 27 Dec. 2013.