Vienna Police arrested a man in Maryland for a sexual assault in Vienna last month.
According to a press release, Vienna Police officers and members of the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Saul Alberto Garay-Amaya in Mount Rainier, Maryland, at 5:30 a.m. yesterday (Thursday) morning.
This arrest resulted from a lengthy and thorough investigation by Vienna Police detectives after receiving information that Garay-Amaya had “sexually assaulted a female victim last month,” police said. “Garay-Amaya has been charged with several felonies, including Sexual Assault and Abduction.”
MPO Juan Vazquez said the investigation was still ongoing and couldn’t reveal more information about the case. Vazquez credited Detective Tina Elias, a 20-year-veteran of the Vienna Police Department, for her work on the investigation.
Photo via Vienna Police Department
The Metro Transit Police are looking to identify a suspect in a report of an attempted rape on a Silver Line train yesterday (Tuesday) in Northern Virginia.Â
The incident took place at approximately 11:35 a.m. between the McLean and East Falls Church stations, according to a statement from the WMATA. The statement says the suspect boarded the train at the Wiehle-Reston East station and physically assaulted an adult female, exposing himself and attempting to remove her clothing.Â
According to the statement, the female was able to escape the train at the East Falls Church station, where Metro Transit Police detectives were able to respond. The victim’s child was apparently the only other individual on the train at the time of the incident.Â
The suspect was apparently wearing a dark-colored shirt with the words “Piranha Joe” on the left sleeve, a logo of a circle and a fish on both the rear and left breast of the shirt, according to the statement.Â
Tysons Reporter contacted Metro Transit Police this morning for updates but was told police could not discuss the case further.
Anyone with more information can contact the Metro Transit Police detectives at 301-955-5000.Â
Photo via the WMATA
An Arlington County resident was sentenced to 65 years in prison last Friday for two sexual assaults, including one that occurred in Falls Church in 2014.
Alexandria City Circuit Court Judge Lisa B. Kemler sentenced Jesse Bjerke, 39, on Oct. 2 to serve 30 years in prison for the Falls Church sexual assault and 35 years for a similar sexual assault that took place in the City of Alexandria in 2016.
“The detectives assigned to the 2014 sexual assault case always strived for justice and closure for the victim,” Fairfax County Police Department Major Crimes Bureau Commander Maj. Ed O’Carroll said before the court accepted Bjerke’s no-contest plea earlier this year. “Our detectives never give up and I’m proud of their dedicated efforts on this case and all our others.”
According to Fairfax County police, the Falls Church assault took place at a community pool in the Yarling Court area on Aug. 1, 2014 when a man approached the victim, a 20-year-old female lifeguard.
The man displayed a firearm, used zip ties to bind the victim’s hands together, and injected her with the anesthetic drug Ketamine before sexually assaulting her.
A Virginia Department of Forensic Science analysis of evidence collected at the crime scene revealed the presence of Ketamine and DNA from an unknown man.
After submitting evidence from their case to the Department of Forensic Science, Alexandria City Police identified Bjerke as a strong person of interest and arrested him in February 2019 after a genetic genealogy analysis by Parabon NanoLabs confirmed that the same suspect had committed both assaults.
Investigators determined that Bjerke had also committed a sexual assault in Falls Church two years earlier after comparing forensic evidence collected at the crime scenes in both cases.
Fairfax County prosecutors indicted Bjerke for the Falls Church assault on Mar. 12. The charges included rape, object sexual penetration, abduction with intent to defile, and the use of a firearm in commission of a felony.
The venue for both cases shifted to the Alexandria City Circuit Court after Fairfax County and Alexandria prosecutors cooperated on a joint plea agreement and sentencing.
According to WTOP, Bjerke pleaded guilty to six felonies connected to the Alexandria sexual assault in October 2019. He pleaded no contest to the Falls Church case and was convicted in March.
Fairfax County police say that victim specialists from the department’s Major Crimes Bureau victim services division have been assigned to the case to provide resources and assistance to the victim.
Photo via Fairfax County Police Department
Detectives with the Fairfax County Police Department are seeking the public’s help to solve a sexual assault case from 1995 in Merrifield.
“This case is about seeking justice for the victim,” Major Ed O’Carroll of the Major Crimes Bureau said. “Victims of horrendous attacks like this one, no matter how long ago, should not and will not be forgotten.”
Police provided this summary of the incident:
In August of 1995, a 24-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in the 8100 block of Prescott Drive in Merrifield. The suspect entered her apartment while she was sleeping, produced a weapon and sexually assaulted her. During the assault, a struggle ensued, and blood evidence collected revealed that the suspect likely sustained an injury to his upper body. The suspect was last seen fleeing out the patio door.
Evidence and DNA had been collected and previously submitted to a state forensics lab. During that process, DNA was isolated from a blood sample from the victim and from the DNA left at the scene. A DNA profile identified as belonging to the suspect was searched against the Virginia DNA Data Bank. There was no identified DNA match and the suspect’s identity remains unknown.
To engage the public in cracking the case, the police department released a composite sketch of the suspect that was done in 1995, a digital enhancement of the sketch and a third image showing an age progression for what the suspect would likely look like today between the ages of 45-55.
“The original release described the suspect as a black male, however a more accurate description would have been a man with a medium complexion,” police said.
“Working on solving these types of cold cases takes tremendous teamwork,” O’Carroll said. “I have great admiration for our detectives, victim advocates and extremely thankful for our strong partnership with experts from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for getting us to this point.”
Anyone with information on this case can contact the Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 8 or submit an anonymous tip by calling 1-866-411-TIPS.
Image (2) via FCPD
Fairfax County police arrested a 50-year-old man who allegedly inappropriately touched a child at an in-home daycare in the Falls Church area.
Police arrested Falls Church resident Santiago Alvarado Garcia on Friday (March 27).
“Detectives were contacted on Thursday, March 26, after a child from Digna Alvarado Garcia Daycare disclosed that they had been inappropriately touched by Garcia,” police said.
The Falls Church-area daycare has been at 2988 Monticello Drive since 2017 and was previously located at 7503 Parkwood Court in 2016, police said.
“Garcia is employed by a general contractor and has lived in the homes as his primary residence while the daycare has been in operation.”
Garcia has been charged with three counts of aggravated sexual battery.
“Victim specialists from our Victim Services Division have been assigned to ensure that the identified victim is receiving appropriate resources and assistance,” police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Major Crimes Bureau detectives at 703-246-7800, option 3. Detectives are looking to talk to people who are concerned that their child might have had inappropriate contact with Garcia.
Photo of Garcia via FCPD
Fairfax County police are asking for the public’s help to identify a suspect linked to a robbery and sexual assault in Tysons.
Police said that a woman was sexually assaulted and robbed at a hotel in the 8600 block of Leesburg Pike on Tuesday (Nov. 12).
“Officers responded to the hotel around noon that day after a woman reported she had been attacked,” according to a police report.
More from the report:
A subsequent investigation revealed that the woman was in her room when she answered a knock at the door and was confronted by a man who may have previously contacted her through a social media app. The man sexually assaulted the victim and stole her personal property. She was taken to a hospital for injuries that were not life-threatening.
“The suspect is described as a black male in his late 20s, around 6′ tall with brown eyes, short black hair and a short beard,” police said.
Anyone who has information can contact the Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800.
Photos via FCPD
A music teacher who was facing charges of sexually abusing former students was found dead Wednesday (June 19).
Back in April, Fairfax County police arrested Jeffrey Cummins, the owner of the Huntington Learning Centers franchises in Tysons and Springfield, on charges of sexually abusing two former students.
After detectives found multiple victims, Cummins made arrangements to surrender himself to police on Tuesday (June 18), but he never arrived, according to the police department.
The next day, Cummins was found dead near Warsaw, Virginia. At the time of his death, he was facing eight felony counts and one count of aggravated sexual battery.
More from FCPD:
Detectives from our Major Crimes Bureau began their investigation in May 2018 when a juvenile disclosed being inappropriately touched by Jeffrey Cummins over a period of several years. In January, another victim came forward and also disclosed being abused for several years by Cummins.
Detectives discovered four additional victims who came forward and disclosed they had also been sexually abused by Cummins between 1987 to 2017. On Tuesday, June 18, nine additional felony warrants were obtained for Cummins. The charges included eight counts of indecent liberties by a custodian and one count of aggravated sexual battery…
Cummins was a private music teacher and gave lessons in his home in Annandale. He was also the founder and artistic director of Virginia Music Adventures, a traveling music group for school-age children. The investigation showed that the sexual abuse occurred both during music lessons and at other times when the juveniles were at his home. Cummins was also the owner of two Huntington Learning Centers, one located in Tysons and one in Springfield. He taught at Langley School in McLean, Green Hedges School in Vienna and Washington Episcopal School in Bethesda, Maryland.
The Virginia State Police are investigating his death and “at this stage of the investigation, no foul play is suspected,” according to FCPD.
The Office of the Medical Examiner in Richmond will complete an examination and autopsy.
Photo via Fairfax County Police Department
(Updated 2:35 p.m.) Falls Church Police have made two arrests after they say a massage parlor customer was sexually assaulted.
“Police responded to Rainbow Massage (800 W Broad St., Unit 101) after a victim reported inappropriate touching during a massage,” according to a police press release.
On Friday (April 19) police arrested 60-year-old Dongfang Chen and 55-year-old Zao Wen Xie. Chen was charged with Sexual Battery and Massage Permit Violations. Xie was charged with allowing an Unlicensed Massage.
Detectives believe there may be more victims, the press release says. Anyone with information can contact the City of Falls Church Police at 703-248-5053.
More from the press release:
Per City Code Sec. 8-74, a massage establishment must have a permit to operate in the City of Falls Church. All massage therapists must be certified by both the Virginia Board of Nursing and have a massage therapist permit from the City of Falls Church. Customers have the right to view all appropriate permits and licenses upon request.
Image via Google Maps
An Annandale man is facing a litany of charges, including sexual assault, in connection with a weekend incident at the Wolf Trap Hotel in Vienna.
Police were called to the hotel at 430 Maple Avenue W. early this past Sunday morning “for a report of a sexual assault” in one of the hotel rooms.
More from this week’s Vienna police department crime report:
The officers found the room in disarray with furniture overturned and damage throughout the room. A woman advised the officers that an acquaintance picked her and her sister up from their home and transported them to the hotel where they used drugs, and she fell asleep. She woke up to find her sister had left the room and the acquaintance was angry, stating his money was missing. The acquaintance began destroying property throughout the room, assaulted the woman and prevented her from leaving. The assault was interrupted when an unknown person came to the room to investigate the noise.
MPO Shaw arrested the 29-year-old man from Guinea Road in Annandale, Virginia. He was transported to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center where he was charged with Sexual Assault, Abduction, Simple Assault and Possession of Marijuana.
The aging hotel is set to be redeveloped into a four-story, mixed-use residential building, though the Vienna Town Council’s approval of that development was controversial due to resident opposition.
Photo via Facebook
Mom Has Daughter Arrested for Theft — “A woman living in the 600 block of Gibson Circle, S.W., told Vienna police on Sept. 27 at 12:30 a.m. that her juvenile daughter allegedly had stolen her cell phone and punched a hole in a wall. The resident advised police she wished to pursue charges.” [InsideNova]
Uptick in Sexual Harassment Reports at FCPS — “The 2017-2018 Fairfax County Youth Survey found that 14.2 percent of students reported being sexually harassed in the past year, an increase of a full percentage point from the 13.2 percent in the survey issued during the 2016-2017 school year. Female students are three times more likely than male students to report experiencing sexual harassment as 20.8 percent of girls said they had been harassed compared to 7.3 percent of boys.” [Fairfax County Times]
Hurricane Michael Could Soak Region — The remnants of Hurricane Michael, which is on a collision course with the Florida panhandle, could bring an inch or so of rain to Fairfax County between late Wednesday night and Friday. [Capital Weather Gang]
Tysons Firm Announces Merger — Tysons-based Telarix Inc. last week “announced its merger with Starhome Mach, the leading global provider of SaaS wholesale and retail roaming, clearing, settlement and fraud prevention solutions.” The combined company will be headquartered in Tysons. [Starhome Mach]
Domestic Violence Awareness Month in FFX — October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Fairfax County held an event to remind residents to “make the call to end domestic violence.” The county’s 24-hour domestic and sexual violence hotline is 703-360-7273. [YouTube]