STAFFORD, Va. -- Investigators in Stafford County spent Tuesday night passing out flyers, in hopes of catching a sexual predator they say poses as a cop.
A teenage girl told Stafford County Sheriff's Office she was sexually assaulted by a man impersonating a police officer over the weekend.
Police set up a road block Tuesday night on Hope Road, near the Quail Run development, and asked passing drivers to think about if they may have seen the police impersonator.
The 17-year-old girl was driving in the area of Hope Road and Walker Way in Stafford around 6 p.m. Saturday evening when she says she was pulled over.
The man approached the victim's car, requested her license and registration, and asked that she get out of the car, according to the sheriff's office. The man then dragged her back to his car, put her in the back seat, and sexually assaulted her. He fled after the victim got out of the car.
The victim described the vehicle as black, possibly a Ford Crown Victoria, with tinted windows. It also had red flashing lights in the front and back.
"I would like to remind the citizens of Stafford that all Stafford County Sheriff's Office vehicles have either blue emergency lights or a combination of blue and red emergency lights," said Sheriff Charles Jett.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Several people who live in the area say they have seen a black Crown Victoria in the Hope Road area with two men standing near it. Witnesses say they too thought it might have been a police car.
"I came off work one day, and I saw the cop right there," Kathleen Ritacco said. "One [man] was in front of the car, one was behind the car, and they just stood there, they were just looking at me."
The fake cop was described as a white male, in his early 20s, 5 feet 11 inches tall, wearing a dark green jacket with dark blue jeans and leather gloves.
Anyone with information about the case should call Stafford County Crime Solvers at (540) 659-2020.
