Canton suspect investigated for two rapes in rural Va.
News out of Virginia's Northern Neck tonight: The man arrested in a brutal rape in Canton, in which he shoveled a woman's front walk and then forced his way in to her home, is the "prime suspect" in two recent Virginia rapes and has been under police monitoring while they await DNA lab tests. His probation agent allowed him to come to Baltimore to visit family for Christmas. Separately, one Canton community leader wonders why the community wasn't notified about the incident via Nixle. It's a text message program the police has adopted to blast out crime notifications, but it's been used twice in the past month, and one of those notifications was for a ceremony for an officer killed 25 years ago. A tool for breaking crime news it is not, at least at this point.
Links go to the coverage from the Rappahannock Record, and our updated story.
MORNING UPDATE: I'm trying to verify the information in the Rapphannock piece. As of right now, the Virginia probation agency is saying that they do not have a record of Vaughan being in their system, and the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office will only refer me to the local news article, which their captain said was accurate. I know that aspect of the story is causing a lot of outrage, so we're working diligently to try to verify it.
AFTERNOON UPDATE: Vaughan was ordered held without bail this morning, and the probation/parole issue is starting to come into focus. As it turns out, Vaughan appears to have been under juvenile supervision in Maryland, not parole in Virginia. (Juvenile probation can be extended until age 21) So it was his juvenile case worker a judge here who allowed him to go to Va., and not the other way around. Still waiting for confirmation from the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services spokeswoman, Tammy Brown, who when I called was not aware of the situation. So we'll see.
Comments
Sentence his probation officer to one year on the streets of East Balmore
Posted by: dennis trencher | December 21, 2009 11:44 PM
This is my neighborhood we are talking about here and yes, I am outraged that this only hit the news today. Don't residents have the right to know about problems heir own community? When was this man arrested? On Sunday, I had people knocking on my door on South Milton Avenue to shovel the last of the snow. The crimes committed on Sat. are so violent in. Reading the link above, this man is the prime suspect in two rapes in Virginia within the last 4 weeks. His parole officier grants him the right to travel for the holiday. Where are the rights of the community?
Kudos, to the strength of this woman to call for help and good speed to her healing emotionally and physically.
Posted by: Jacki Gilbert | December 22, 2009 12:14 AM
Yet another sad story of a repeat offender taking full advantage of a lax criminal justice system.
It is sickening to see how much harm is done by some of these relentless, unredeemable perpetrators, and tragically inexcusable when it is learned how lenient the justice system was to them despite the many crimes they had already committed.
And as a matter of personal safety, I never open my house or car door to any stranger, regardless of their race, gender, or age. I speak through the shut car window or the glass in my house door. If the stranger finds it difficult to communicate with me or treats me like I'm being rude, so be it. I can never remember a time when they had anything worthwhile to say to me anyway.
Posted by: Broken Record | December 22, 2009 1:06 PM
This is one reason my sidewalk is still not shoveled. It is also one reason I have had a largish dog as a companion for most of my adult life. Years ago a man walked into my kitchen while I was in a back bedroom and my usually docile dogs would have torn him apart if I had not come to his aid..
Posted by: Janet | December 23, 2009 2:59 AM
This is disgusting and outrageous. The Maryland "Judicial" System is a disgrace. Please, Peter Hermann, I implore you and your fellow Sun staffers to reveal as much information possible about the authorities and judges who have been responsible for allowing this creep to be out on the streets to commit grievous harm on our innocent citizens.
These monsters will never stop, so it's up to the citizens of Baltimore to put pressure on the authorities who keep letting these perpetrators back on the streets.
Their leniency is their complicity.
Posted by: Broken Record | December 23, 2009 6:55 PM