believes mrs. johnson knew she was dealing with tainted money and tried to conceal it. clearly, she knew. i cannot accept the explanation she did not. he sentenced her to 12 months and a day. she's eligible for release in ten months. 240 hours of community service and forfeit the $79,600 in her possession when arrested. she had many supporters at the courthouse. >> i was disappointed she got time. i felt adds though she should not have received any jail time. >> she got sentenced to 12 months and a day. do you think it's fair? >> no. should be less. >> reporter: should be probation? >> should be probation. >> reporter: the judge acknowledged the supporters who came to court this week. the judge had to weigh that against the disgust and outrage of others. in news coverage, editorials and letters to the editor. that's the latest from the news room. back to you in the studio. >> thank you, chris. it was another awful day on the campus of virginia tech. a gunman opened fire and opened a wound on a campus scarred from violence four years ago. we are learning about the final moments of a man who killed a police officer. we know what happened but we don't understand why. darcy spencer joins us with more on how the gunman tried to cover his tracks. darcy. >> virginia state police are not releasing the suspects name. he was not a virginia tech student and no apparent connection to the campus and he was acting alone. he may have stolen a car to get there and changed clothes after the shooting to throw off police. virginia state police say the gunman who shot and killed virginia tech police officer, deriek crouse changed clothes. >> he ran to the greenhouses where he changed clothes, taking off a pullover top and a wool cap and putting them in a backpack which he left at the greenhouses. >> the gunman was not identified was spotted acting spishlly a half mile from the scene. >> it's not as if he was walking across the parking lot. it was his actions walking through, looking around and those types of actions that caught the deputy's interest. >> reporter: by the time the deputy got to him, it was too late. he laid down from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. the gun they found near him was the same gun used to kill officer crouse. >> we are deeply pain ed by ther loss. >> he was ambushed, sitting in his cruiser after making a traffic stop on campus. the officer did not return fire. police say the cruiser did have a dashcam. >> the video captured a male subject with a handgun at the officer's car at the time of the shooting. >> police confirm the shooter may have stolen a car and used a campus shuttle. they are trying to figure out why he shot the officer and if there was prior contact between him and the gunman. >> we are piecing together the individual's where abouts. there's no connect that they knew one another or encountered one another prior to the shooting. >> there were writings on the wall where the backpack was found. they didn't elaborate what was contained in the writings. finals were delayed until tomorrow and a vigil is being held on campus tonight. back to you. >> thank you. a former assistant principal learned his fate for a massive child pornography collection. he will spend five years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. that was the mandatory minimum. he was a principal at greenville elementary. he was caught in june during an undercover operation. decision 2012, republican presidential candidates are holding town halls getting ready for the second to last debate before the caucus. the iowa republicans will cast the first votes for the republican nominee. the iowa caucus happened on january 3rd. jute gingrich is the current front-runner. it's friday. do we care what the weather is going to be like this weekend because it's friday? it's going to get colder. >> we always care about the weekend weather. doug, what's the word? >> it's going to be dry. it's time to get the coats out because we are really going to start to get into winter like weather over the next couple days. as far as the temperatures go, a nice 47 degrees. we made our way up to 50 degrees across the area today. a nice afternoon with a wind at 5 miles per hour. 43 in winchester. 43 in frederick. manassas 63 degrees. that's obviously an error. wouldn't that be nice in the middle of december. storm 4 doppler radar, nothing to show you as far as rain is concerned. we'll stay dry, not only through the day today but through the weekend and early portions of next week. temperatures overnight chilly. 42 by 11:00. waking up to temperatures of 36. more clouds overnight. a cold front is going to move through here. it lowers the temperatures for the weekend. maybe the coldest numbers we have seen so far this season. i'll show you what the numbers are in the forecast. >> time to get out our woollies. for well over a month, protesters have camped out, blocked roads and prompted dozens of arrests. they are drawing attention. their tactics could be working against them. the public is starting to lose patience with occupy d.c. about 60 people were arrested after a rush hour protest caused trafc jams downtown. appearing os viewpoint, the mayor wants to protect first amendment rights but the city will enforce the law. >> we are not going to tolerate that. people who are increasingly losing their patience because of the infringement on business. we support their right, of course, to exercise their first amendment rights. at the same time, we will not tolerate the breakinging of the law. you can watch the rest of viewpoint hosted by tom sherwood sunday at 7:00 a.m. at 6:00, find out why local businesses are fed up. police bust a ring responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of thefts. how the groups technique proved to be their undoing. gearing up for game time. the army/navy game heads to fedex field. we know the identity of a pet injured and far from home. the washington humane society is taking action after a tragic mistake at an area animal shelter. the news 4 i team got the team and found a series of problems that led up to an awful accident. tisha thompson has the story. >> they run two animal shelters in d.c. it's the only animal welfare agency in the country. tonight, one employee is no longer working there after a mistake that left a family heart broken. when pets go missing in d.c., they usually end up here at the new york avenue shelter run by the washington humane society. more than 8500 pets impounded here in just the last year. including zzoe. she ran off one day with the dollar and leash still attached. >> we put an ad on craigslist. we got a call, i found your dog and took her to the shelter. days later her boyfriend stopped by to make sure and there she was in the holding area. >> i stuck my hand through the fence and told her it was going to be okay. you know, she was coming home soon. >> reporter: she didn't come home. the shelter worker said only brandy could claim zoe since she purchased the dog. they were going to put an rto on her. it was fine if they paid the $7 a day for boarding. >> brandy couldn't pick her up until four days later. the supervisor said i have horrible news. he said we youthized her this morning. >> this is our mistake that resulted in this tragedy. >> the chief operating officer with the humane society. >> we take full responsibility with what happened. we have spoken to the family, expressed our regret and sympathies. we have taken steps to make sure it doesn't happen again. >> her boyfriend should have been allowed to take zoe home. the return to owner notice was never placed in the dog's file. since the death, some workers have been disciplined and every employee received new training. >> people should not be afraid. this was an isolated incident. we feel terrible about it. >> records show 7% of impounded pets were reunited with families last year. more than half of all pets were euthanized. it's a tough statistic for any owner hoping for a happy reunion. >> i just didn't want her to think we left her. that's the hardest part. that she was alone when all that happened. >> the shelter says it would like to buy new software that could help match up lost pets with owners more efficiently. it's expensive. $50,000. the shelter takes responsibility for the accident, we found there was another issue. zoe has a microchip. her owner thought that would protect her. tonight at 11:00 we show why microchipping doesn't always guarantee a happy homecoming. we have an update about the lost dog that was running out of time at the fairfax county animal shelter. they nicknamed him foxy. finding the owner was complicated because he was picked up by a good samaritan in prince george's county. he was turned over in fairfax county. it turns out faxy was found a half mile from home. his real name is jake. his owners are from upper marlboro. >> a happy ending there. >> we could all use a fur coat like that for the weekend. >> i feel bad for my dog. we took her in and they had to shave her. >> she's an inside dog. she's going to have a sweater on. it's my wife's dog, not my dog. yeah. outside right now, it's on the chilly side. everybody is going to need a sweater because the temperatures are going to go down. not too bad for this time of year, but colder than it has been. a lot of 50s, 60s and a couple 70s over the past two to three weeks. looks like we are going to stick in the 40s for a couple days. 47 degrees is the current temperature now. winds out of the south at 5 miles per hour. current temperature, 46 in martinsburg. 49 in winchester. a report around manassas of 63. wouldn't that be nice. we did get to 50 at the airport today, actually 51. a nice afternoon. closer in across the metro area 45. 46 in camp springs. warrenton coming in at 46 degrees. what are we going to be seeing? not any precipitation. no rain out there on the radar. at least not here. look back to the west. this is a cold front. rain ahead of it. snow behind this frontal boundary. that front is going to continue to sag down across the region tonight. as it moves across the mountains, it loses the energy source and there's not enough moisture to bring precipitation tonight or through the day tomorrow. a nice day today with plenty of sunshine. high clouds with the front. the front moves through fairly quickly. behind it, we see plenty of sunshine, again. it will be chilly. temperatures a few degrees cooler. a bit of a breeze. windchills for most of the area in the 30s. saturday and sunday, very, very chilly, compared to where we have been over the past couple days even with sunshine out there. this evening, clear skies turning chilly. tomorrow morning, starting off on a cool note, but not too bad for this time of year. 27 to 36 degrees. a cold start. a chilly breeze. a ten to 15-mile-an-hour breeze. the windchills down to 20 to 25. itis going to start cold and stay chilly tomorrow. mostly sunny. the cold breeze continues. windchills will stay in the 30s for just about all day long. once again, you need the coats and jackets as you step outside. 43 for sunday. could be the coldest mostly sunny day since february. monday and tuesday, temperatures in the upper 40s to around 50 degrees. we warm up a little bit. sunday morning, many suburbs could wake up into temperatures in the teens. sunday morning looking cold. thursday, we go out and do holiday lights. yesterday, we weren't able to get out there. we're going to try to do two next week. >> you're going to be busy. >> oh, yeah. e-mail us at weather@nbcwashington.com. >> i'm hoping tuesday and thursday. we have to get the okay from the family. >> okay. we'll consider that your request. >> that's right. >> okay. anks, doug. still ahead, dining on a budget. tom shows us how to find a bargain at fabulous restaurants. >> i'm liz crenshaw, why do some stores change their return policies during the holidays? that's the question. the answer is coming up on ask liz on news 4 at 5:00. are poinsettia plants toxic? how do you get a letter postmarked from the north pole? liz crenshaw joins us with the holiday edition of ask liz. >> kriss kringle here for you. >> our first question comes from emily. emily wonders if the popular poinsettia plant is toxic to humans or pets. i have always heard warnings related to pets. >> we found the answer at the american society for cruelty of animals and the american florists. ohio state university tested all parts of the popular holiday plant and concluded the poinsettia is nontoxic to humans and pets. the poinsettia is not meant to be eaten and can cause degrees of discomfort. they agree to keep it out of reach of young children and curious pets. i think it's an irritation issue, not a poison issue. >> good to know. the next question from ann in reston, virginia. is there a way to get a letter from santa postmarked from the north pole. >> the postal elves will postmark them. place the envelope you want postmarked in a larger envelope and mail it to 4141 postmark drive in anchorage, alaska. any letters you want postmarked by the office mailed by tomorrow, december 10th. we'll have this information on our website, go to www.nbcwashington.com and search north pole. >> that's cool. >> yes, they are busy, busy, busy out there. >> extra revenue for the post office, too. a bonus. >> the last question is from zeo in d.c. why do some stores change their return policies around the holida holidays? >> they do it for a few reasons. some make their policies more lenient because they understand there's a lag time between when a gift is purchased and then received. others tighten the policy to deter return fraud and shoplifting to see if there are changes, look for the return policy online or the back of your receipt or on one of the walls at the stores. you need to check. sometimes they change. if you have a question you would like us to consider, send it to askliz@nbcwashington.com. find me on facebook and twitter. >> i like it when stores, the clerks offer do you want a gift receipt with this. nice thing to ask. >> great idea. >> exactly. >> brilliant. >> thank you, liz. have a good weekend. wendy. fedex field gets ready for a historic rivalry. the excitement over army/navy. >> reporter: 25. do you know where your rims are? if they are miss a fast 4ward through the headlines. a councilmember, leslie johnson was sentenced for her role in a federal corruption case. she's ordered to one year and one day. she benefited from the financial crimes of her husband. former prince george's county executive jack zwrjohnson. the man who killed a police officer on georgia tech campus was not connected to the school. ballistic tests show ed the gun used to kill the officer was the same gun found. the republican presidential candidates are campaigning in iowa and getting ready for tomorrow night's debate in des moin moines. republicans will cast the first votes for the presidential nominee on january 3rd. now, let's fast 4ward to the weather. >> we saw a beautiful day on this friday. a fantastic friday afternoon. but, a little bit of a frontal boundary. you can see the front on storm 4 doppler radar. it's making its way across portions of ohio and western portions of pennsylvania. rain and snow behind it. as it crosses the area, it crosses as a dry front. we'll see more clouds on the increase over night tonight. it will drop the temperatures the next couple days. the coolest temperatures we have seen for the season. not frigid yet, but colder for sure. >> thank you, doug. an elaborate theft ring. police say four guys are responsible for taking the rims off hundreds of cars leaving plenty of people stuck in park. pat collins is live in prince george's county with the story. pat? >> reporter: another high dollar theft ring busted by prince george's county police. we call this is steal wheel caper. prince george's county police cracked a stolen rim ring that targets high dollar trucks and suvs. escalades, denalis and tahoes. police say these four guys are responsible for hundreds of rim thefts in and around our area. >> the cops seized a number of these stolen rims and tires. they are running out of places to put them. they are keeping them in the bosses office. one, two, three, four sets. they have them in the lunchroom. none in there. under the copier. they had to move a sergeant out of his office. why? storage. so, how did they steal the rims so fast? they say it was a two-step process. early in the evening, they come by, loosen the lug nuts. then they leave. in the dark hours of the morning, they come back, jack up the truck, grab the tire and off they go. nascar fast. how did they get caught? they left the same kind of block under each one of the vehicles. case closed. >> a set of rims can run into the thousands of dollars. there's an incredible amount of money at stake. here now from julie parker with the prince george's county police. >> one insurance company tells us they are out $600,000 just from dealerships alone in prince george's and fairfax county. >> reporter: this year? >> this year. >> reporter: what about private owners? >> could be double that. >> reporter: a lot of money. >> a lot of money. >> reporter: some advice now. use lug locks. if you do, don't leave your key in the glove come partment. they will steal the key there. mark your rims. they don't have vin numbers. if the rims are stolen and then recovered, they can't tell where they came from. do all those things and liz crenshaw will be very proud of you. so will the prince george's county police. wendy, back to you. >> all right. keep our cars on the road. thank you, pat. a man who shot at -- who shot a virginia state trooper has died. the 32-year-old of chesterfield was found walking on the side of i-95 in caroline county. he was wanted for reckless driving. he went for the troopers gun and managed to fire it, injuring the trooper. he was then shot with another gun. he died at mary washington hospital. the trooper is expected to make a full recovery. 1600 families who lost a loved one overseas is getting a special gift. they took off for the snowball express. more than 50 flights left today. families get an all expension paid trip to dallas. they watch a rodeo, go to six flags and watch a private performance. american airlines provided many flights and the crews donate their time for the trip. several other lights provided by air compassion for veterans, a nonprofit organization. fedex field was painted for a rivalry that will play autofor the first time at this location. tomorrow, army will take on navy for the 112th meeting. erika gonzalez is live at the field tonight. hi, erika. >> reporter: good evening. it's getting chilly out here. it's going to be good football weather for tomorrow. this game dates back to 1890. 83 games played in philadelphia. it's the half way mark between annapolis as well as west point. tomorrow will be the first time here at fedex field. saturday afternoon, thousands will pack the house to witness game 112 of army versus navy. >> okay, it starts here. it starts today. >> reporter: first, it's a tradition that goes back 30 years at the naval academy. >> let's go! >> reporter: they said they would run the unlucky company off the yard. today, the state of maryland has officially declared this weekend running of the ball weekend. each year, a new class of athletic men and women face the daunting task of running 120 miles with the pig skin. the distance from here to philadelphia. it's the last go around for senior alex jackson. >> we band together. it's a way to boost moral. it's a lot of fun. >> not for these guys. >> it's a bad week to be on exchange. >> reporter: you can say that again. this is what happens when you are an army cadet doing an exchange program at the naefl academy. and this. >> this is what you are going to wear today. >>