Fairfax County police are searching for a man suspected of raping a woman at the Quarry Inn Motel just west of Falls Church City.
The man allegedly arranged to meet the woman at the motel (7179 Lee Highway) last Saturday (Sept. 16) at 6:40 p.m., according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
“When she opened the door, the suspect displayed a knife and threatened the victim. The suspect then sexually assaulted her,” the FCPD said in a news release today. “The victim was able to escape the room and call 911.”
Based on surveillance footage, police believe the suspect is a man in his 20s. He’s described as thin with scars or acne on his face.
The FCPD says anyone with information can contact its detectives at 703-246-7800, option 3. The department also accepts anonymous tips through Crime Solvers by phone (866-411-8477) and online.
As of June, the FCPD had recorded 192 forcible sex offenses in 2023, according to a mid-year crime report released earlier this month. The report found that shoplifting and assaults had noticeably increased from the previous year.
Photo via Google Maps
(Updated at 12:20 p.m.) Fairfax County police believe a single man may be responsible for a series of assaults on minors in the Burke area.
A 65-year-old Burke man has been arrested and charged with sexual battery of a minor in connection to an incident that occurred on Sept. 7, the Fairfax County Police Department announced today (Monday).
According to police, a juvenile girl reported that “an unknown man approached her, grabbed her wrist, and groped” her chest while she was walking on the Wards Grove path near the 5800 block of Poppy Court around 6:30 p.m.
“The victim was able to run away and call the police,” the FCPD said in a news release.
Major Crimes Bureau detectives assigned to the case developed a composite sketch of the possible suspect on Sept. 14 and canvassed the area “looking for additional leads,” police said.
“During the canvass, additional incidents involving the suspect were reported to police, including an assault against a minor and an additional instance of sexual battery against a minor,” the FCPD said.
While canvassing, police say officers saw a man who matched the suspect’s description. Detectives interviewed him and learned that he often uses the trails around Burke Commons Road and Roberts Parkway, prompting them to make an arrest.
So far, the man has only been charged with the Sept. 7 case, but detectives are still investigating his possible connection to other reported cases in the area, according to the FCPD.
“Our dedicated detectives are working closely with the community to identify any additional incidents that may have occurred,” an FCPD spokesperson said. “We understand the importance of gathering all necessary evidence and conducting thorough interviews with all victims involved.”
The police department is asking anyone who may have been a victim or have additional information to contact its detectives at 703-246-7800, option 3. Tips can also be sent anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone (1-866-411-TIPS) and online.
A Kingstowne man has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman he met online at a townhome in the Manchester Crossing neighborhood.
Fairfax County police officers were called to the 6000 block of Alexander Avenue around 5 a.m. today (Monday) after getting a report of an adult woman who had been raped and “maliciously assaulted,” the department said in a news release.
Police say 22-year-old Yeudy Saul Chavez Sandoval met the victim online. When they agreed to meet in person, he “lured her into an apartment.”
“She was pushed down the stairs where she sustained significant injuries,” the Fairfax County Police Department said. “The suspect then sexually assaulted her. The victim was able to escape and call 911.”
The woman was transported to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening.
According to the FCPD, Sandoval had left the scene when officers arrived, but detectives identified him as the suspect and took him into custody “after thorough investigative efforts.”
Sandoval has been charged with rape, forcible sodomy, object sexual penetration and malicious wounding, police said. He is currently being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center without bond.
(Updated at 3:10 p.m.) A woman staying at the Courtyard Marriott in Merrifield was sexually assaulted yesterday (Thursday), Fairfax County police say.
Officers were called to the hotel at 2722 Gallows Road at 1:30 p.m. for the assault, which had just occurred, according to the Fairfax County Police Department.
“The victim, an adult woman, reported a man she just met sexually assaulted her in a hotel room,” the FCPD said. “Detectives from our Major Crimes Bureau responded to the scene to assume the investigation.”
Police are seeking the public’s assistance to identify a man who they believe to be the suspect, releasing a surveillance video today (Friday) captured by a camera behind the hotel’s front desk. The video shows a man entering the lobby just before 2 p.m. and exiting around 2:25 p.m.
According to police, time stamps on surveillance videos aren’t always accurate, since they might not be synced to the internet. The difference between the time on the footage and when police responded to the scene will be reviewed as part of the investigation.
“We cannot speak to the accuracy or differential of the time stamps on the surveillance system the video came from at this time,” the FCPD public affairs bureau said. “Detectives continue to investigate.”
The FCPD asks anyone with information to Major Crimes Bureau detectives at 703-246-7800, option 3. Community members can also submit a tip anonymously to Crime Solvers by phone (1-866-411-TIPS) or online.
Top photo via Google Maps
A Stafford man was arrested on Friday (July 7) in connection with the sexual battery of a woman in Chantilly and two other incidents that police say are related.
Fairfax County police arrested Hien The Dinh, 20, on charges of abduction and sexual battery. Police say he approached a woman in “broad daylight” on July 3 around 11:30 a.m. in the 14500 block of Northeast Place and forcefully grabbed her in an intimate area and put her in a chokehold.
The victim had been walking down the street with her mother, who went to visit a neighbor’s house before the incident happened, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said when announcing the arrest on Friday.
According to Davis, the woman screamed, alerting her mother, who was able to intervene and prevent an apparent abduction attempt.
Police believe Dinh was also involved in a May 18 incident around the same neighborhood. In that case, a man broke into a house on Iberia Circle and tried to sexually assault a woman who managed to escape and call the police.
Davis said Dinh has also been linked to a May 10 sexual battery incident at Northern Virginia Community College’s Loudoun County campus.
Davis described the suspect as a “predator.”
“I don’t know what you do with a person like this besides incarcerate him, because he’s going to offend again and again and again,” Davis said.
The FCPD circulated video surveillance footage of the area, along with a composite sketch of the suspect. They found his car in the 3900 block of Stonecroft Blvd.
“Throughout the week, detectives were able to link the vehicle to Dinh after reviewing hours of surveillance footage and observing the vehicle in the vicinity at the time of the incident,” FCPD wrote in a statement.
Police arrested Dinh as he left a business in the area and entered the car.
He is being held on no bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center on charges of abduction with the intent to defile and sexual battery. Davis said he anticipates more charges, as investigations continue in all three cases.
(Updated at 10:35 a.m.) An employee of the Fairfax County Department of Family Services has been arrested for allegedly raping and sexually assaulting a woman last week.
Detectives with the Fairfax County Police Department’s Major Crimes Bureau arrested Ernest Melo, 35, of Centreville on Sunday (July 2) after the victim reported the June 28 assault to police a day earlier.
On Wednesday night, the victim met Melo at a restaurant outside of Fairfax County. Prior to this occasion, the two were not known to each other. The two parties went back to the victim’s house in the Mount Vernon Police District. At the home, Melo raped and sexually assaulted the victim.
Melo has been charged with rape and two counts of sodomy. He’s in custody without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
After the arrest, detectives determined that Melo works for the Department of Family Services as a human services assistant, the FCPD said.
DFS said it has no comment “on this specific situation” and doesn’t comment on personnel matters.
However, it backed the FCPD’s request that anyone with information related to the case contact detectives at 703-246-7800, option 3. The police department also accepts anonymous tips through Fairfax Crime Solvers by phone (1-866-411-TIPS) or online.
“The Department of Family Services, Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Division offers resources and services for victims of sexual violence, including hospital accompaniment and emotional support,” a DFS spokesperson said.
The county has a 24-hour hotline for people experiencing domestic and sexual violence at 703-360-7273. Its services include crisis support, information and referrals, counseling and safety planning.
A preliminary hearing in the case has been scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sept. 20, according to the Fairfax County General District Court’s online information system.
Fairfax County police are looking for a man who allegedly broke into a woman’s home in Chantilly and tried to sexually assault her.
Officers were called to a house on Iberia Circle at 12:02 p.m. yesterday (Thursday). The man entered the woman’s home through an unlocked door “and attempted to sexually assault her,” according to the police.
“The victim was able to escape her house and contact the police,” the Fairfax County Police Department said in a news release today. “The suspect left on foot prior to police arrival. The victim was taken to a local hospital for injuries that were non-life-threatening.”
Police described the man as a stranger to the victim with “straight black hair and a medium build.” At the time of the assault, he was “wearing a long sleeve black shirt, dark pants, and a light blue hospital-style mask,” the FCPD said.
Detectives are investigating the incident as a daytime burglary and attempted sexual assault.
The department said its detectives can be contacted as follows:
Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding this incident to call our Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 3. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone – 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), and by web – Click HERE. Download the ‘P3 Tips’ App “Fairfax Co Crime Solvers”. Anonymous tipsters are eligible for a cash reward. Please leave contact information if you wish for a detective to follow up with you.
(Updated at 1:55 p.m.) A Vienna man has been arrested for allegedly raping a girl at a local park.
The suspect, Celvin Aragon Flores, met the victim online through a social media app and then “engaged in a sexual encounter with her at a park in Vienna,” the Town of Vienna Police Department says.
The sexual assault was reported to the VPD on Monday (May 15), though the department’s weekly recap suggests the assault occurred around 8 a.m. on April 16.
“Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Section, dedicated to this case, conducted interviews with the victim and witnesses, coordinated a forensic rape examination, and obtained search warrants,” police said.
Arrested yesterday (Thursday), Flores has been charged with sodomy, rape, aggravated sexual battery and animate object penetration. Additional charges are expected “as the case progresses,” according to the police department.
The VPD said it has notified victim services personnel and Child Protective Services, which “will provide the necessary assistance and ongoing support for the victim.”
When asked about the age of the victim, who’s identified only as a juvenile, and the name of the park, police said they were unable to disclose that information.
“Due to this case being an active investigation, we must abide by certain protocols to ensure the integrity of the case,” VPD public information officer Juan Vazquez said.
(Updated at 1:30 p.m.) One student allegedly sexually assaulted another in a bathroom at Frost Middle School last week, Fairfax County Public Schools says.
In a letter sent to families and staff, Superintendent Michelle Reid and Frost principal Anthony Harris said that they had been made aware of the incident yesterday (Thursday) and “contacted authorities immediately.”
“The safety of our students is our number one responsibility and we will always take immediate action as soon as we are made aware of any allegations of a crime or safety issue,” Reid and Harris said in the letter, which was first reported by the Fairfax County Times.
The Fairfax County Police Department’s Major Crimes Bureau detectives are now conducting an investigation, including interviews and a review of school surveillance footage.
“Yesterday, our detectives received a report of a sexual assault that occurred Thursday, Jan. 12, at Frost Middle School,” the department told FFXnow. “Preliminarily, a student reported she was sexually assaulted by another student in a bathroom.”
The detectives are “working closely” with FCPS on the investigation, a spokesperson said.
In response to the incident, FCPS has enhanced its “adult support,” including security, in the Fairfax school. Students will also be using “a buddy system” when they go to the bathroom or otherwise leave a classroom.
Reid and Harris said the alleged suspect hasn’t been identified. An FCPS spokesperson said the school system is unable to share any more details, directing further inquiries to the FCPD.
The Major Crimes Bureau can be contacted at 703-246-7800, and the department accepts anonymous tips through Crime Solvers by phone (1-866-411-TIPS) and online.
“Victim specialists from our Victim Services Division have been assigned to ensure the victim receive appropriate resources and assistance,” the FCPD said.
The full letter to the Frost community has been reprinted below. Read More
(Updated at 10 a.m. on 1/12/2023) A man who provided acupuncture services at a medical school based in Tysons sexually assaulted a patient last summer, the Fairfax County Police Department says.
Dr. Chang Hee Kim, 64, was arrested yesterday (Tuesday) and charged with two counts of aggravated sexual battery, a felony offense, police announced.
Licensed to practice acupuncture in Virginia since 2005, Kim has served as director of clinical operations at the Virginia University of Integrative Medicine (1980 Gallows Road) since 2015, according to police.
Per the FCPD, a woman said Kim touched her inappropriately on July 14 and 18 when she visited VUIM to get acupuncture treatment.
“During the treatment, Dr. Chang Hee Kim, a licensed acupuncturist, unlawfully touched her genital area. The victim later reported the incidents,” the FCPD said.
Detectives obtained warrants for Kim on Friday (Jan. 6), and he turned himself in to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center yesterday. He was given a $2,000 secured bond and has been released from custody, the Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.
The bond was set by a magistrate, according to the Office of the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney, which says its prosecutors were not yet involved in the case. An arraignment is scheduled for Tuesday (Jan. 17).
VUIM says it no longer employs or is associated with Kim.
“Virginia University of Integrative Medicine (VUIM) is aware of the charges and arrest of Dr. Kim,” VUIM CEO John Yoo said by email. “VUIM has cooperated with the Fairfax County Police Department throughout their investigation…Given the sensitivity and ongoing legal nature of the matter, we have no further comment.”
According to police, Kim worked as an acupuncturist at “other medical facilities” in the D.C. region as well. Before moving to Virginia, he worked at a clinic in California.
Anyone with information about the case or other related incidents is advised to contact Major Crimes Bureau detectives at 703-246-7800, option 3. The FCPD also accepts anonymous tips through Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS or online.
