(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.
(Updated at 1:15 p.m.) A Lorton man charged with alleged sexual battery of a minor may be responsible for a separate, earlier sexual assault against a woman in Mount Vernon, police say.
The Fairfax County Police Department announced today that additional charges have been filed against Louis C. Allen, 42, after they matched his DNA to evidence collected from a sexual assault at a Mount Vernon Lakes apartment on Feb. 2.
According to police, a woman reported entering her apartment building in the 8300 block of Brockham Drive at 7:05 p.m. that day and being “grabbed from behind by a man,” who sexually assaulted her.
“The victim was able to fight off the suspect. He left property behind as he ran away,” the FCPD said in a news release. “This item was collected as evidence and sent to the Department of Forensic Science (DFS) for DNA testing.”
According to police, the DFS analysis detected Allen’s DNA on the evidence that was collected.
Allen was arrested on May 24 for allegedly touching a kid inappropriately multiple times at a playground in Lake Accotink Park on May 21. He was charged with aggravated sexual battery and served warrants for assault of a family member and failing to appear in court for previous offenses, the FCPD reported at the time.
Fairfax County General District Court records show that Allen previously arrested for an attempted vehicle burglary on Oct. 25, 2020.
He was initially charged with possession of burglary tools and entering a vehicle, which are misdemeanors, as well as destruction of property over $1,000 — a felony. However, the felony was later downgraded to a second misdemeanor charge of entering a vehicle, and Allen entered a no contest guilty plea at a preliminary hearing on Jan. 26, 2021.
He was also arrested on May 13, 2021 for an April 12, 2021 assault and battery incident.
After the Lake Accotink arrest, police said Allen was initially being held without bond at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center. A judge set a bond of $50,000 in the case that hasn’t been paid, according to a Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court clerk.
Right now, though, Allen is in a Tennessee jail on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and aggravated photography of a minor, the FCPD said today. He was extradited from Fairfax County to face those charges after the May 24 arrest, according to the department.
“Detectives traveled to Tennessee and obtained DNA from Allen,” police said. “DFS was able to provide a DNA confirmation based on the direct comparison of the DNA collected from Allen and the collected evidence” from the Mount Vernon assault, for which he has been charged with abduction with the intent to defile and object sexual penetration.
According to the FCPD, Allen will be extradited from Tennessee to Fairfax County for Lake Accotink Park assault. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 15.
(Updated at 4:15 p.m.) Police have arrested a 61-year-old man from Arlington County who allegedly abducted and raped a Fairfax County woman multiple times over three decades ago.
Fingerprint and DNA analyses suggest George Thomas Jr. and his now-deceased brother, Gregory Allen Thomas, were the offenders in the 1988 rape of a 22-year-old woman who got attacked as she was leaving work in Bailey’s Crossroads, the Fairfax County Police Department said this afternoon (Tuesday).
“This is another chapter for the victim in this case, and undoubtedly, it’s a lifetime of trauma and healing. In this case, justice is delayed, but justice is not denied,” Police Chief Kevin Davis said.
According to police, the woman was walking to her car after finishing work at Skyline Mall (5115 Leesburg Pike) on Aug. 24, 1988 when two men attacked her in a garage and forced her to drive her vehicle to a secluded, wooded area.
After allegedly raping her, the men forced the woman to drive to another location where they raped her again, said FCPD Maj. Ed O’Carroll, chief of the department’s cyber and forensics major crimes bureau.
“This is a profoundly horrifying series of events. The victim was able to escape in her car and fled the scene following the second assault,” O’Carroll said.
FCPD officers responded to the crime that night and collected “an abundant amount of forensic evidence,” including fingerprints lifted from the woman’s vehicle, O’Carroll said.
The woman provided a description of one of the men, leading police to develop a composite sketch that was widely circulated, but no tips materalized leading to an arrest. Submissions of the collected evidence to state and national DNA databases also came up empty, the FCPD says.
A breakthrough came in 2020 courtesy of an “astute” forensic examiner who matched one of the recovered fingerprints to a print in an unrelated Alexandria City arrest record, O’Carroll said at the press conference.
Police say advanced DNA analysis confirmed that Gregory Allen Thomas, who died in 2009 was one of the offenders in the rape. Detectives later obtained a “discarded” DNA sample from Thomas Jr., who was “alive, well and living in Arlington,” that indicated he was the second offender.
Thomas Jr. was arrested at a Metro station in Montgomery County on Monday (Nov. 21) by U.S. Marshal Service deputies, with Metro and Fairfax County police assisting. He’s currently being held in Montgomery County’s Adult Detention Center but is expected to be transferred to Fairfax County, where the case will be tried.
The FCPD didn’t immediately respond to inquiries seeking clarification on which station the arrest was made at and the nature of the Alexandria arrest.
However, Alexandria General District Court records show that a George Thomas was arrested on Sept. 12, 2020 on a misdemeanor concealed weapons charge. He was found guilty and sentenced to 30 days in jail, which were suspended. He also paid a $214 fine.
O’Carroll said that both brothers had been involved with the police in the past, and the department believes they may have been connected to other cases in Northern Virginia. He advised anyone with information to contact Major Crimes Bureau detectives at 703-246-7800, option 8.
Among those present at the press conference was the original lead detective on the case, Dick Kline, who had joined the FCPD in 1980 and retired in 2007.
“It gives you a sense of resolve when something like this happens, because you do actually live these cases with the victim for years and years,” Kline said. “There are times when you have no idea, no help from the public. It’s very difficult…Even though it’s more than 30 years later, it’s a blessing. It’s a blessing from above that finally justice prevails.”
James Cullum contributed to this report.
A 29-year-old man from Mount Vernon could face life in prison after pleading guilty to transporting a teen for sexual purposes, the Department of Justice announced yesterday.
Apipat Vutipawat pleaded guilty last Thursday (Nov. 10) in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania to charges that, from May 29, 2020 through June 2, 2020, he transported an unidentified minor from Virginia to Pennsylvania “with the purpose of engaging in any illicit sexual conduct,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
According to the Observer-Reporter, Vutipawat was arrested on May 14, 2020 in Pennsylvania’s Richhill Township after police found him in a vehicle with a 14-year-old girl who said he was her boyfriend. He had allegedly met the girl through a dating app and faced multiple local assault charges.
Vutipawat pleaded guilty to aggravated indecent assault in Washington County Court and was sentenced to over three years in prison on Jan. 14, according to court records.
Vutipawat was indicted on three federal charges in March 2021, including traveling with the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct, transportation with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and obstruction of justice.
With his guilty plea, he faces a total sentence between at least 10 years and life in prison, a fine of up to $750,000, or both, according to the DOJ.
A sentencing hearing has been scheduled for 11 a.m. on March 16, 2023.
“Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history of the defendant,” the DOJ news release said. “Pending sentencing, Vutipawat remains detained.”
The department says the case was part of its national Project Safe Childhood initiative, which started in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The Fairfax County Police Department joined the investigation with federal, state and local law enforcement in Pennsylvania.
A 30-year-old man from D.C. has been arrested for allegedly raping a woman at a hotel in Tysons West earlier this month, the Fairfax County Police Department announced today (Wednesday).
According to the department, community tips based on surveillance footage shared publicly on Monday (Oct. 17) led police to identify Patrick Craig Locke as the suspect in the assault, which occurred on Oct. 1 in the 8600 block of Westwood Center Drive.
Locke was arrested by Metro Transit Police at 4 p.m. yesterday (Tuesday) at the Metro Center station in D.C.
The FCPD says its detectives received “several tips” after reviewing surveillance footage from the hotel and releasing video captured at Metro stations that they believed the suspect had visited.
The department also reviewed body camera footage from police in Montgomery County, where Locke had been arrested in September on a theft charge, according to court records.
According to the District Court of Maryland, Locke is scheduled to appear in Montgomery County District Court for a preliminary hearing on Monday (Oct. 24). He has been charged with misdemeanor theft of $100 to $1,500 for a Sept. 8 offense in Silver Spring.
“Once identified, detectives obtained warrants for rape, burglary with the intent to commit rape, abduction with the intent to defile and brandishing,” the FCPD said in its blog post.
Locke allegedly entered a woman’s unlocked hotel room in the afternoon of Oct. 1 and sexually assaulted her, according to police. He later pointed a gun at “a man known to the victim” who learned about the assault and chased him, police said.
The FCPD says no firearm has been recovered so far.
Locke is currently in custody at D.C.’s Central Detention Facility but will be extradited to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center, police said.
A woman was sexually assaulted by a man who brandished a firearm at a hotel in the Tysons West area earlier this month, the Fairfax County Police Department says.
The department’s Major Crimes Bureau Sex Abuse Squad is investigating a rape that reportedly occured on Oct. 1 at a hotel in the 8600 block of Westwood Center Drive — likely the Hawthorn Suites, according to a news release published today (Monday).
“Officers responded at 5:30 p.m., after receiving a report of a man that sexually assaulted a woman and brandished a firearm,” the FCPD said. “The suspect entered the unlocked hotel room, physically and sexually assaulted the victim and fled. A man known to the victim learned of the assault, saw the suspect and gave chase.”
According to police, the suspect was able to escape after pointing the gun at the other man. The woman was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Police say detectives have obtained surveillance footage from the hotel and Metro showing the man that they believe to be the suspect:
Detectives obtained video surveillance from the hotel of the suspect. As detectives continued to investigate, they also recovered video surveillance from the suspect entering the Metro at the Eastern Market station. The suspect switched to the Silver Line at the Capitol South station and exited at the Spring Hill station.
Officers with the Metro Transit Police Department determined the suspect entered the Metro at the Spring Hill station following the assault. The suspect took the Silver Line to Metro Center and switched to the Red Line in the direction of Glenmont. Detectives believe the suspect resides in the Washington D.C. area. The suspect is described as a Black man, 25-40 years-old, 5’8 – 6′, heavy build with short curly black hair that is partially dyed blonde.
A clip from the video shared by the FCPD shows a man wearing a necklace with a large medallion walking down a pedestrian bridge to a Metro station.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact the investigating detectives at 703-246-7800, option 3. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone (1-866-411-TIPS) and online.
A man who sexually abused children for years at a home day care in Annandale has been sentenced to life in prison, Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced today (Friday).
Elwood Lewis Thomas, a 38-year-old man from Alexandria, will serve four life sentences and an additional 36 years in prison after being convicted last year on multiple counts of rape, aggravated sexual battery, and sexual penetration with an object, according to Descano’s office.
“We asked that Mr. Thomas be sentenced to life in prison because of his abhorrent history of sexually abusing children,” Descano said in a statement. “My thoughts are with these children and their families as they begin the journey of healing.
CA Descano announced today that an Alexandria man was sentenced to four life sentences plus 36 years after being convicted of two counts of rape, four counts of aggravated sexual battery, and two counts of object sexual penetration last year. pic.twitter.com/OIZ1zF2tnL
— Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Descano (@FairfaxCountyCA) August 26, 2022
Fairfax County police arrested Thomas in September 2019 and charged him with abusing three kids while they attended Happy Land Daycare from 2006 to 2010. The day care operated in the 6400 block of Holyoke Drive from approximately 1999 to 2012, the police department said at the time.
According to police, Thomas had been employed at the day care and was living in the house between 1999 and 2012. The children were between 4 and 8 years old at the time of the abuse, the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney says.
Thomas had previously been arrested for molesting a girl at the day care in June 2012. The girl, then 14, alleged that Thomas had inappropriately touched her on multiple occasions when she was 11 or 12, The Washington Post reported at the time.
For that case, Thomas was convicted in 2013 of aggravated sexual battery of a child under 13. The Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney says he was sentenced to eight years in prison, but seven years were suspended, and he was ordered to spend 20 years on probation.
Just days before allegedly raping a woman at her apartment in Reston, Anthony Agee had been released from police custody on bond after being arrested on a felony drug charge, Fairfax County court records show.
Though only 22 years old, Agee has been in county courts on a variety of charges dating back to a Feb. 21, 2017 traffic violation for failing to obey a highway sign, where he paid a $30 fine, according to the General District Court’s online information system.
Though Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano has faced criticism for prosecution decisions some see as overly lenient, his office says Agee wasn’t in custody in part due to a plea deal that prosecutors under his predecessor, Ray Morrogh, offered for an armed burglary attempt that occurred on April 30, 2018.
The deal was approved by a Fairfax County judge and capped the incarceration portion of Agee’s sentence at three years. He was released from jail in December 2020, according to the Fairfax County Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney.
“Our hearts break for the victim of the tragic crime in Reston over the weekend and we will prosecute this case to the full extent of the law,” the Commonwealth’s Attorney Office said.
Since being released from jail, Agee has been arrested four times, including on March 1, 2021 for stealing a vehicle and on Feb. 23 for an incident involving a gun and breaking and entering.
In the March 1 case, Agee was charged with vehicle theft, reckless driving, failure to identify himself to law enforcement, and failure to stop at the scene of an accident. The vehicle theft charge — the only felony — was downgraded to petit larceny, a misdemeanor.
Per court records, Agee didn’t contest the charges at a preliminary hearing on Sept. 1, 2021. The case also included a civil violation for possession of marijuana that was dismissed on Jan. 20 of this year.
A Fairfax County Circuit Court judge found earlier this month that the incident constituted a violation of Agee’s probation, but the judge took no further action and let him remain out on probation, according to the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
Agee’s Feb. 23 arrest stemmed from a shooting at the Paper Moon strip club in Springfield and led to felony charges of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and entering a structure with the intent to commit assault, battery or another felony, along with a misdemeanor for brandishing a firearm.
Agee was detained, but at an April 4 preliminary hearing, prosecutors dismissed the case without prejudice, according to court records.
The Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office says it asked for a dismissal as a temporary measure, because the case needed further investigation, including DNA testing, search warrants, and other evidence gathering. Read More
(Updated at 10:45 a.m. on 8/24/2022) Fairfax County police have arrested a 22-year-old man in connection with sexual assault of a woman in her apartment in Reston.
Anthony Agee, 22, was charged with intent to commit rape, abduction and the prevention of a 911 call in connection with the Sunday (Aug. 21) incident, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis announced in a press conference today (Tuesday).
According to police, the woman was watching television in her living room on the 2200 block of Lovedale Lane near South Lakes Drive when she woke up to a man there. The victim said the man raped her on the floor of her apartment at knifepoint.
She was hospitalized with injuries that are not life-threatening, according to Major Ed O’Carroll, commander of the Fairfax County Police Department’s major crimes bureau.
The suspect was arrested after a community search. Neighbors saw a man peeping out windows in the area before the attack.
Police officers also reviewed video footage from a previous incident on June 5 that showed the suspect in and around the area.
Another resident told police of a handprint that was visible on glass doors in the area. Police ran the fingerprints through an expedited search and were able to pinpoint the suspect, according to O’Carroll.
Davis said the investigation is “far from over,” referring to the suspect as a “vicious, callous criminal” and a “monster.” Police believe he may be connected to other incidents, and the suspect was known to the community.
“We’re not done with him yet,” Davis said. “He’s off the street. That is the good news.”
