Virginia

Man Accused of Posing as Maintenance Worker Before Sexual Assault Arrested

The 25-year-old suspect did maintenance for an apartment building in Northwest D.C.

What to Know

  • A 25-year-old has been charged in connection to the sexual assault of a woman inside her Arlington, Virginia, home last year.
  • Police say the attacker posed as a maintenance worker in the building. The suspect did maintenance in a Northwest D.C. apartment building.
  • The man's use of his cellphone led to his arrest, police say.

A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman inside her Arlington, Virginia, apartment after posing as a maintenance worker has been arrested after nearly 10 months on the run, police say. 

Allen Lowe, 25, of Washington, D.C. was arrested and charged with abduction with intent to defile and malicious wounding, Arlington police announced Monday. 

The assault occurred May 7, 2017 at The Atrium apartment complex on Key Boulevard, in the Rosslyn neighborhood. 

Police say Lowe knocked on multiple doors in the apartment building, claiming to be a maintenance worker. When a woman opened her door, Lowe entered her apartment, court documents say.

While Lowe was inside, the woman became suspicious and tried to leave. But police say Lowe dragged her back inside and sexually assaulted her.

The victim was able to escape a second time and ran into a concierge who was investigating complaints from residents about someone posing as a maintenance worker. 

The woman suffered multiple injuries in the attack, including cuts and broken bones.

Police were able to track Lowe down by matching a cellphone call he was seen making while inside the elevator at The Atrium building with his phone records, according to a search warrant.

Lowe worked as a maintenance worker for another apartment building: Eaves Glover Park, in Northwest D.C.

A senior vice president for AvalonBay Communities, which manages Eaves Glover Park, said its employees undergo background checks. 

Lowe had prior misdemeanor convictions, according to court documents. 

AvalonBay fired him after he failed to show up for work the day after the attack in Arlington. 

In the days after the assault, Lowe left the D.C. area and found work in another state, court documents state. 

Lowe tried to gain entry into a nearby apartment building before the attack, but was denied access by a concierge, according to police.

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