Alexandria police announced today that they are charging Campagna Kids camp counselor Tae’Sean Atwater, 21, with sexual assault of a victim under the age of 13.

Atwater is being held in the Alexandria Adult Detention Center and while police say an investigation has only uncovered evidence of one incident, Atwater has been in programs connected to Alexandria City Public Schools since at least 2019.

Atwater worked as a camp counselor for Campagna Kids, an after-school program run through the Campagna Center for children from kindergarten to 5th grade.

“While the preliminary investigation has not uncovered evidence of inappropriate contact with other children, Mr. Atwater has been a camp counselor with Campagna Kids since 2019,” the police release said. “Mr. Atwater has worked at multiple Campagna Kids sites including Patrick Henry Elementary School summer camp, Samuel Tucker Elementary in the before-school program, and George Mason Elementary in the after-school programs.”

Police are asking anyone with additional information to contact Detective Jason Marable by phone at 703 746 6883 or by email at [email protected], or to call the non-emergency number at 703 746 4444. All tips can be submitted anonymously.

The Alexandria Police Department announced that a local Taekwondo instructor has been arrested and charged with raping a juvenile victim.

“Trulynd Hall, 29, is suspected and charged with Rape – Victim Under 13,” police said in a release. “Mr. Hall is currently being held without bond in the Alexandria Adult Detention Center.”

According to Facebook, Trulynd Hall worked with Be Ryong Martial Arts in Arlandria at least as recently as 2019.

“While the preliminary investigation has not uncovered evidence of inappropriate contact with other children, we know Mr. Hall has instructed Taekwondo classes and possibly other youth programs throughout the Northern Virginia area,” police said. “We are asking if anyone has information related to this incident and/or if there is information leading to any other possible past inappropriate encounters with him to please contact APD Detective Jennifer Kay by phone at 703.746.6263, email at [email protected] or call our non-emergency number at 703.746.4444. Tips can be anonymous.”

Updated at 5:30 p.m. On April 19, at 6:30 p.m., a social worker at Inova Fairfax Hospital contacted the Child Protective Services hotline.

The social worker reported that a three-year-old girl was overdosing and was brought to the hospital emergency room by her mother in a Lyft transport, according to a police search warrant affidavit.

“By the time (the child and her mother) arrived at the hospital, the child was in full cardiac arrest,” police said in a search warrant affidavit. “The child was treated with Narcan and immediately reacted.”

Narcan is a prescription medicine that can reverse an opioid overdose through injection or intranasal mist.

Police later found the mother and daughter in the hospital’s pediatric unit. The mother told police that she is homeless was staying at a friend’s house. She told police that her child picked up a cup and put it to her lips, and that soon after she became increasingly lethargic, according to a search warrant affidavit.

The woman also reportedly told the social worker that she did not know what was inside the cup. When police asked the mother where she was when the incident occurred, she said that she didn’t know the address. She also said that her friend’s name is Tiffany.

The child was removed from her mother during the investigation and placed in the custody of one of the father’s cousins, according to the search warrant affidavit.

Over the next several days, the social worker spoke with the child’s father, who told her that his ex (the mother of the child) confided that she “made up Tiffany’s name and that she was at another friend’s house,” according to the search warrant affidavit.

“[The mother] is purposely not telling us where she was when the incident occurred,” police said in the search warrant affidavit.

The cousin told police that the child reported she and her mother were, in fact, at another cousin’s house when the incident occurred, that the mother of the child has always struggled with drugs, and that “her preference is Percocet laced with Fentanyl,” police said in the search warrant affidavit.

“[The cousin] stated that even though [the mother] knew what was going on with [the child], she didn’t tell the medical staff when she arrived at the hospital. She knew that [her child] had drugs in her system and stayed quiet,” police said in the search warrant affidavit.

No arrests have been made in connection to this incident, and APD could not be reached for comment.

Anyone who suspects that a child is being abused or neglected should call the city’s CPS hotline at 703-746-5800, or the Virginia hotline at 1-800-552-7096. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911 for police assistance.

A 37-year-old Maryland man is being held without bond after allegedly sexually assaulting a girl younger than 13 years old in the Braddock area.

The incident occurred at around 9 p.m. on May 9 near Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority properties in the 1300 block of Madison Street, which is close to the Braddock Road Metro station.

Police found the suspect, Damien Curtis Talbert, of Prince George’s County, unconscious but breathing as he was pinned to the ground by multiple witnesses.

The witnesses told police they stopped him from allegedly sexually assaulting the juvenile girl, and that a gun fell out of Talbert’s clothing during the incident, according to a search warrant affidavit. A Taurus G3C 9mm pistol was found on the ground about five feet from the suspect.

The juvenile victim did not seek medical attention, police said.

About 20 minutes before the incident, police were alerted of a fight between two men a short distance away at 1000 Colonial Avenue. Before the fight, one of the men involved admitted to handing his gun to Talbert.

Talbert was charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, sexual battery of a victim under the age of 13 and assault and battery. He goes to court for the offenses on June 1.

The Alexandria Sexual Assault Center and Domestic Violence Program is available 24/7 to listen and help at 703-746-4911.

“If you are a neighbor and know that an abusive incident is occurring, call the police immediately,” the city said. “Calling the police is simply the most effective way to protect the victim and children from immediate harm.”

Via Google Maps

After right-wing outlet National Review broke a story accusing Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) of covering up a sexual assault case, city leaders are hitting back and saying the story misses some critical details.

The story, which was widely shared on social media, said a 14-year-old suspect was arrested in December for aggravated sexual battery, rape and forcible sodomy in connection to an October incident at the Minnie Howard campus of Alexandria City High School. The article also includes quotes from parents who said they were left in the dark and there was no communication about the issue.

https://twitter.com/InezFeltscher/status/1504811046166573060

In the aftermath of the article, ACPS social media posts were flooded with comments referencing the article and accusing ACPS of a cover-up. Local leaders, however, say the National Review article misconstrues what happened.

The City takes any accusation of sexual assault seriously and vigorously advocates for justice on behalf of victims. Recent fringe media reports have suggested otherwise.

The case referenced was investigated by @AlexandriaVAPD and adjudicated in court.https://t.co/9vTUvgIcwl

— Justin Wilson (@justindotnet) March 18, 2022

A release from the City of Alexandria notes that the defendant in the case was acquitted in court and, pursuant to state law, details of incidents involving juveniles must remain confidential.

The incident was, however, brought up at a March School Board meeting detailing security incidents that took place during the last school year. The National Review article acknowledges the meeting but criticizes school leadership for raising the incident as an “aside” and for not responding to parents asking questions about the incident.

The story broke not long after Superintendent Gregory Hutchings advised School Board members not to speak directly with the media.

A male juvenile was assaulted twice on a DASH bus in December, according to Alexandria Police.

On Dec. 7, the victim reported to police that he was assaulted by an individual and then by a mob. It is not clear where the bus was when the victim was assaulted.

The victim told police that he was assaulted by a male on a DASH bus and that the same suspect stole his bookbag. A few minutes later, he was assaulted by multiple males who also robbed him of his phone.

Videos of the incident were later uploaded to a private Instagram account with an Alexandria City High School logo as its profile picture.

This is the second known instance of fights and other violent behavior involving Alexandria students being uploaded to Instagram. Last year, a bunch of student fights were recorded at George Washington Middle School and put on the platform.

No arrests have been made and the incident remains under investigation, according to police.

What a hot week in Alexandria. Here is the rundown.

Our top story this week was on the five men arrested after shots were fired in Old Town last month. There were quite a few crime incidents to report on, in fact, including a man who was arrested in the Landmark area after shooting his cat and a man arrested for selling marijuana and illegally possessing a gun.

Weather-wise, temperatures were in the high 90s this week, as the city once again offered cooling centers for residents needing shelter from the elements.

On Friday, HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge visited The Spire affordable housing complex in the West End. Fudge briefly met Mayor Justin Wilson and Congressman Don Beyer (D-8th) for a tour of the facility, as she later touted the Biden Administration’s Built Back Better agenda.

Have you been getting mite bites? You’re not alone. According to our weekly poll, a vast majority of the 600+ respondents reported getting bitten.

Important stories

• City considering starting over on zoning ordinance guidelines
• Institute for Defense Analyses announces Potomac Yard move-in later this year
• The Four Mile Run Bridge in Arlandria will not fully reopen until fall 2025
• Alexandria Fire Department struggling with staffing shortage and forced overtime
• Alexandria historians compiling stories of 2020 protests and pandemic
• Del Ray CrossFit gym owner says exercise keeps clients focused amid pandemic
• Alexandria poised to receive opioid settlement funding
• ACPS wants more community input on Minnie Howard redesign
• Virginia offers grants for small businesses bringing in new hires

Top stories

1. Five arrested after shots fired in Old Town North
2. Alexandria updates COVID-19 guidance as cases increase
3. Alexandria Police say drug debt was behind West End murder
4. Child neglect suspect arrested after evading Alexandria police for six months
5. Alexandria opens up on details for new guaranteed basic income program
6. Amy DuVall quit her career as an environmental lawyer in D.C. to bake Italian cookies in Alexandria
7. Former ACPS administrator Tammy Ignacio says experience matters in School Board bid
8. Poll: Have you gotten the infamous mite bite in Alexandria?
9. Development on West End lot could signal the start of Mark Center overhaul
10. Parker-Gray development asks for more density and less parking
11. ACPS is not requiring staff to get vaccinated before school starts systemwide August 24

Have a safe weekend!

A 27-year-old Woodbridge man has been arrested by Alexandria Police after allegedly evading his court date for child neglect and ducking law enforcement for nearly six months.

The man, who was arrested on August 3, failed to show up for his Feb. 11 court sentencing at the Alexandria Courthouse.

In the first week in May, police reached out to the suspect via phone, and he allegedly told police that he needed a few weeks to get his affairs in order and would turn himself in, according to a search warrant affidavit.

Police called the suspect back two weeks later, but the call didn’t go through. The suspect, who is also wanted for failing to appear in court for assault and battery against a police officer in Prince William County, blocked the number.

The suspect was held without bond, and transferred to Prince William County.

A 32-year-old Alexandria man fled to his native county of El Salvador last month, after allegedly raping his 12-year-old stepdaughter in the Landmark area.

The girl gave birth to a boy on June 10.

Her mother told police that the last time she spoke with her husband was on May 8, when he called and said that he was going fishing. The stepfather never returned, and his wife later received a text from his brother showing her husband with his sister in El Salvador, according to a police search warrant affidavit.

The girl told police that her stepfather raped her three times — twice in their apartment in the 200 block of S. Reynolds Street in the Landmark area and once at their previous apartment in Manassas. She said that he threatened to kill her mother if she told her about the incidents, and forced her to say that she got pregnant by another student, according to police.

Alexandria Police later found that the suspect deactivated his Facebook account, and that he flew on an early morning Avianca Airlines flight to El Salvador.