Fairfax County

โ€˜It may not be too late': Virginia man arrested for decades-old sexual assaults

News4 spoke to a victim who says she was sexually assaulted at a Great Falls horse farm when she was between the ages of 11 and 13.

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A Fredericksburg man is facing charges for crimes allegedly committed over 40 years ago.

Fairfax County Police say a victim came forward back in June and said she was sexually assaulted multiple times at a horse farm in Great Falls.

News4 spoke with one of the victims, Stephanie, and she says all she's asking for is accountability.

โ€œI just want victims to know that it may not be too late, and that youโ€™ve been living with this your whole life,โ€ she said.

Fairfax County Police say 81-year-old Edward Shelton is now facing two counts of indecent liberties charges.

In June, Fairfax County investigators say a witness told officers she was sexually assaulted multiple times by a man between the years of 1980 and 1983 at a horse farm in Great Falls.

Investigators say they learned Shelton worked as a horse farrier on several horse farms throughout Northern Virginia.

Fairfax County police say they later identified Shelton as a suspect.

โ€œYou feel like โ€˜Iโ€™m the only one, nobody knows, nobody is going to understand,โ€™โ€ Stephanie said.

Stephanie says she was sexually assaulted when she was between the ages of 11 and 13.

Sheโ€™s hoping that her actions to come forward encourages other victims to do the same.

โ€œI was shocked that my case wasn't too late, and I'm hoping that a lot of and I'm sure there are other victims of my perpetrator who will come forward,โ€ Stephanie said. โ€œLike I said, even if one of them looks at it and says, 'Oh, they finally got him,โ€™ that makes me happy.โ€

Fairfax County Police are asking any other victims to come forward in this case.

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