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The Prince William County Planning Commission is recommending a Manassas-area man be permitted to build and sell guns out of his single-family home.

Mark Sicat, owner of a home on Wheeler Drive near Sudley Road, is seeking a special use permit to transform it into a storefront where he can sell commercial and historical guns while also assembling and modifying guns with simple tools. He intends for most sales to be done online with an option for local pick-up out of his garage.

The home business model is a stepping stone for Sicat to eventually move the shop out of his house, he said.

Although the Planning Commission advanced his proposal, many of Sicat’s neighbors have said the presence of his store would make them feel unsafe in their neighborhood, though they did express some confidence in Sicat’s ability to operate a safe and responsible business.

Others were concerned about the proximity of Sicat’s home to a local community center with a public pool.

But Sicat said some neighbors have been less forgiving of his proposal.

"There are a few homeowners against my home business that have either never communicated with me at all or they have made it their mission to attempt to attack my character with false accusations in order to influence the Planning Commission and the Board of County Supervisors,” he said.

Sicat defended his record of gun responsibility as a veteran who currently holds a U.S. government issued security clearance.

On-site storage of gun inventory at the home would be limited, Sicat said. Items in stock would be commercial guns, maintenance kits and accessories, along with a limited supply of historical World War II, Vietnam-era and Korean War guns.

Sicat would be prohibited from selling ammunition under county laws and also restricted from vending short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, machine guns and silencers.

On-site customer traffic will be limited to five per day with only one allowed on site at a time.

Sicat will sell the guns inside of a case in his closed garage to customers who take advantage of the local pick-up option. Guns will be stored in a locked safe inside the home until they’re sold, he said.

Planning Commission members Juan McPhail, Joseph Fontanella, Jr., Tom Gordy, Richard Berry and Qwendolyn Brown all recommended that Sicat be permitted to open the business.

Many members justified their vote citing several similar home gun stores approved in the county in recent years. The commission in 2022 recommended approval of Sure Short Gunsmithing LLC, a store run out of a Nokesville home.

“As much as I do not prefer to vote for a gunsmithing retail business in the residential neighborhood, we have approved numerous of those businesses … So I will say yes,” Brown said.

Chair Cynthia Moses-Nedd and at-large member Patty Kuntz both opposed the business. Moses-Nedd argued the residential location of the proposed business was inappropriate.

Raheel Sheikh was absent from the meeting and did not cast a vote.

A 21-year-old Manassas man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after authorities said he had sexual video calls with 1,000 girls.

Patch Staff

MANASSAS, VA — A Manassas man was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Wednesday for owning child pornography and sexually exploiting children, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Authorities identified the man as 21-year-old Anthony Benton. Prosecutors believe that Benton had sexually explicit video calls with about 1,000 underage girls from 2020 to 2023.

"[Benton] initially came to the attention of law enforcement when he bought child sexual abuse material, including videos depicting the sexual abuse of children who appear to be as young as 5 years old, over Telegram," the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a news release. "A residential search warrant was executed at his home and law enforcement discovered that Benton had used Omegle, a live video application, to consistently produce child pornography since 2020."

Benton's case was brought to federal court as a part of Project Safe Childhood.

Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice "to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse," according to a news release. The project began in May 2006, and focuses on locating, apprehending, and prosecuting people who sexually exploit children through the internet.

The project also works to identify and rescue victims of sexual abuse.

"The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for physical sexual contact is well-known and serious," the project's website says. "The danger of perpetrators who produce, distribute and possess child pornography is equally dramatic and disturbing."

Resources are available for people who are victims of sexual exploitation and violence. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation hosts an array of resources for victims and their families on their website.

A hotline for child victims can be reached at 1-800-25ABUSE. Further resources can be obtained from the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network.

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Manassas city officials are hoping a second-hand transformer will fix its electrical woes -- at least for now.

A used transformer was shipped to the city on loan last week and installed Monday at the Battery Heights substation, the source of several widespread outages that have left thousands in the dark for hours in recent months.

The new transformer will temporarily replace the substation’s old one, which was facing several issues even before it was twice struck by lightning earlier in the summer. In the last two weeks, some city residents have lost power on two separate occasions -- most recently on July 28 and days earlier on July 24, when over 1,500 customers lost power for several hours.

But even before the lightning strikes that brought the latest spate of outages, the city’s electrical system was facing “unprecedented” outages related to failing parts at Battery Heights, according to Manassas Utilities Director Tony Dawood. Residents have faced significant outages in February, April, June and July.

“These outages, for the city, are unprecedented,” Dawood said in June. “We’re doing everything we can, as quickly as possible, to make the station whole again.”

The city operates its own electric distribution network, purchasing power on the PJM energy market through NOVEC. But typically reliable service -- a point of pride for the city-owned utility -- has become a mounting problem at Battery Heights, one of four residential-focused substations.

Numbers are not yet available for July, but in June the average power customer in Manassas lost power for more than 26 minutes. In June of 2022, the average customer was without power for just over 4 minutes.

City Manager Pat Pate told InsideNoVa that prior to the lightning strikes, some of the substation’s insulation was failing and allowing water to damage several components.

“That [insulation] issue has been fixed, but as a part of what we’re doing on the Battery Heights substation, they’re going to do a complete soup-to-nuts review of that station, and we’re going to basically upgrade everything in the station that could possibly need upgrading to prevent that from happening again,” Pate said.

The substation and many of its components are over 30 years old.

As the problems compounded, officials tried to bypass certain components at the substation, but that only added stress to other parts of the network as temperatures rose in June and July, resulting in low-level light flickering or full-blown outages like the one on July 24.

“There was a little bit of a prolonged outage there for certain people longer than we typically would have, and that was related to the additional loads we put on those lines. And our system is pretty much underground, which makes it very reliable, and you don’t have storm issues, but in this case, when you have cables that fail, it’s harder to find those cables because they’re underground,” Pate said.

The rental substation installed on Monday comes from Pennsylvania on a three-month loan. It will cost the city roughly $400,000 all told, but it won’t be a permanent solution. While it’s expected to keep things up and running for the time being, the city’s utility department is hoping to fix the transformer that was struck by lightning.

The lead time for a new transformer, Dawood said, is about two years. So for now, the city is hoping to breathe new life into what it already has.

“What’s very unique to electrical equipment is it doesn’t fail like you would think, instantly,” Dawood said. “It’s a cumulative process, so it takes time. You can test this piece of equipment and it’ll show that it’s working when, in fact, it’s already been deteriorating. And then it’ll completely fail.”

MANASSAS, Va. (7News) — It has been debated and discussed for years, but now an expansion at the Manassas Regional Airport has garnered a lot of attention and appears poised to move forward. The idea is to have commercial airlines flying here in the next two years.

A proposed commercial flight agreement between the airport and airport manager and operators Avports had its first reading during a council public hearing Monday night. If approved by the city council, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hopes to have its certification review done this fall. Part of the expansion will include coordinating with the Transportation Security Administration to set up checkpoints and staffing.

One of the biggest concerns is noise, the airport expects to see around 30 commercial flights per day.

The terminal expansion would require a full environmental impact study.

SEE ALSO | Prince William County Supervisor calls on Board of Supervisors to put brakes on data centers

“Flights that are going to come and go are going to be bigger than I know I would be used to considering I’m 25 miles out from Dulles. So that concerns me and also the potential smell of diesel fuel and that type of thing,” said one county resident who spoke during the public hearing.

Another resident added, “I’m right in the flight path so my concern is the noise. Smaller extent, there’s apparently some air pollution with increased airplane traffic like the NOx gasses and particulates.”

Another concern, the current 6,200-foot runway limits the type of planes that can land and take off.

A second and final reading is scheduled for next Monday. If approved, the council will be able to start the blueprint to make sure the airport’s terminal is ready for commercial service. One of the biggest obstacles for the airport will be getting its certification from the FAA.

“We have no plans to be like a Dulles or a National that have hundreds of flights every day,” said Juan E. Rivera, the Director of the Manassas Regional Airport.

SEE ALSO | Top Virginia, Maryland lawmakers highlight how an FAA bill could cause more delays at DCA

City leaders hope to have an approved application for the FAA ready this fall. The whole certification process is expected to take 12 to 18 months.

If an agreement is approved, Avports would pay rent to the airport’s general fund.

The first year’s rent of the 40-year lease would start at more than half a million dollars. Avports officials say they plan to have multiple carriers serving the airport at all times. One potential carrier could be Avelo Airlines which currently runs service from three Florida destinations daily using planes that carry close to 200 passengers each.

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“Air transportation is a major contributor to our economy, bringing outside business and consumers,” said Bob Sweeney, the CEO of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce.

This article was written by WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.

Dill Dinkers plans to open its first Virginia location and Prince William County’s first dedicated indoor pickleball facility in Manassas Mall early next year.

The Maryland-based company announced that it has signed a 10-year lease with Spinoso Real Estate Group, owner of the mall, for a location across from Autobahn Indoor Speedway.

The 16,485-square-foot space will include six regulation-sized pickleball courts with fences and an outdoor surface, bathrooms, private event space, a pro shop, a ball machine and a reservation system. Dill Dinkers will offer clinics, private and semi-private lessons and leagues in the space and will have a director of pickleball on staff.

“Opening these facilities is our way to share our love of pickleball with the community and offer a place to play year-round,” Denise Richards said in the release. “We aspire to create an atmosphere that inspires fun, learning, healthy competition and lifelong friendships.”

Prince William was chosen for Virginia’s first Dill Dinkers location because of the community support, Erika C. Spalding, chief marketing officer for Dill Dinkers and treasurer of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce.

“Manassas is a vibrant and diverse community rich in opportunity for businesses to thrive,” Spalding added. “We look forward to sharing the joy of pickleball with the community.”

Carmden D. Spinoso, CEO of Spinoso Real Estate Group, said the addition of Dill Dinkers aligns with the company’s vision for the mall.

“Dill Dinkers’ dedicated indoor pickleball facility will not only enhance our offerings but also contribute to the vitality of the community.” Spinoso said. “We are excited to celebrate the grand opening and provide a vibrant and engaging destination for pickleball enthusiasts and shoppers alike.”

Dill Dinkers is a partner with JOOLA Pickleball, based in Rockville, Md., and the D.C. Pickleball team, under the Major League Pickleball umbrella.

Prince William Chamber president and CEO Bob Sweeney said the region is proud to have its own dedicated pickleball facility.

“There is no question pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the country,” he said. “With Anheuser-Busch, Mark Cuban, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James all joining the ranks of pickleball team ownership, it’s clear that pickleball is making a great impact on our national and local economy.”

With the announcement of the Manassas center, Dill Dinkers will offer 50 dedicated indoor pickleball courts in the Washington region by early 2024.

This article was written by WTOP’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.