(Updated at 10:05 a.m.) A now-former Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) deputy was arrested earlier this week for allegedly assaulting a person being booked into the county jail in January.
According to the Fairfax County Police Department, Nicholas Vaszil, a 28-year-old Annandale resident, “assaulted an inmate” in the booking area of the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on around 3:45 a.m. on Jan. 1 “following a verbal altercation.”
The sheriff’s office’s internal affairs team notified the FCPD about the assault on Jan. 3, police said in a news release.
The sheriff’s office says it called police “immediately” after interviewing the inmate who was assaulted and witnesses. That initial inquiry indicated that there was “potential criminal activity” and resulted in Vaszil being placed on administrative leave on Jan. 2, according to Kathryn Ann Duffy Pavluchuk, a general counsel for the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office.
“At that point he was relieved of duty and did not work another shift after the date of the incident,” Pavluchuk told FFXnow by email.
The FCPD announced yesterday that Vaszil was charged with simple assault “following a thorough investigation” on Wednesday. He was terminated by the sheriff’s office on Jan. 30.
“The FCSO cooperated fully with the police department and is grateful to the FCPD for its thorough investigation,” Pavluchuk said. “The FCSO does not tolerate unnecessary or excessive uses of force and hopes for a just outcome in the criminal case.”
The full statement from the sheriff’s office is below:
The Sheriff’s Office is aware of charges against a former deputy sheriff for assaulting an inmate at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. The Sheriff’s Office takes the safety and well-being of its population seriously. As soon as the assault was reported to the Sheriff’s Office, an initial inquiry led to this former deputy being placed on administrative leave on January 2, 2024. At that point he was relieved of duty and did not work another shift after the date of the incident.
Once the inmate and witnesses were interviewed and the existence of potential criminal activity was discovered, the police were called immediately. The FCSO cooperated fully with the police department and is grateful to the FCPD for its thorough investigation. The FCSO does not tolerate unnecessary or excessive uses of force and hopes for a just outcome in the criminal case.