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| Police detective who led controversial teen 'sexting' case kills himself after facing child molestation accusations | Police detective who led controversial teen 'sexting' case kills himself after facing child molestation accusations |
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| A Manassas City police detective, who was the lead investigator in a controversial teen “sexting” case last year, shot and killed himself outside his home Tuesday morning as police tried to arrest him for allegedly molesting two boys he met while coaching youth hockey in Prince William County. | A Manassas City police detective, who was the lead investigator in a controversial teen “sexting” case last year, shot and killed himself outside his home Tuesday morning as police tried to arrest him for allegedly molesting two boys he met while coaching youth hockey in Prince William County. |
| David E. Abbott Jr., 39, was a member of the Northern Virginia-Washington D.C. Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and had been an officer on the Manassas City force for 14 years. In his spare time he coached 13- and 14-year-old boys in travel hockey for the Potomac Patriots program at the Prince William Ice Centre in Woodbridge, club officials said. When Prince William police learned on Monday of the allegations of improper contact by Abbott over a period of years, they moved quickly. | David E. Abbott Jr., 39, was a member of the Northern Virginia-Washington D.C. Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and had been an officer on the Manassas City force for 14 years. In his spare time he coached 13- and 14-year-old boys in travel hockey for the Potomac Patriots program at the Prince William Ice Centre in Woodbridge, club officials said. When Prince William police learned on Monday of the allegations of improper contact by Abbott over a period of years, they moved quickly. |
| Police said they learned that Abbott had sent inappropriate text messages and emails to a 13-year-old boy he met through the hockey programme. By phone and social media, Abbott had been asking the boy for sex acts for more than two years, county police said. | Police said they learned that Abbott had sent inappropriate text messages and emails to a 13-year-old boy he met through the hockey programme. By phone and social media, Abbott had been asking the boy for sex acts for more than two years, county police said. |
| Detectives then learned of a second potential victim, a boy who was 13 and was also part of the Patriots hockey club in 2008 when Abbott began sending him inappropriate messages, police said. Early Tuesday, Prince William police obtained a search warrant for Abbott’s townhouse on Senea Drive in Gainesville, where he lived with his mother. Police also obtained four felony arrest warrants — two counts of indecent liberties by a custodian and two counts of use of a communication device to solicit a sexual offense. | Detectives then learned of a second potential victim, a boy who was 13 and was also part of the Patriots hockey club in 2008 when Abbott began sending him inappropriate messages, police said. Early Tuesday, Prince William police obtained a search warrant for Abbott’s townhouse on Senea Drive in Gainesville, where he lived with his mother. Police also obtained four felony arrest warrants — two counts of indecent liberties by a custodian and two counts of use of a communication device to solicit a sexual offense. |
| Police arrived at the townhouse about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Prince William Sgt. Jonathan Perok said. Abbott refused to surrender. Aware that the detective probably had weapons, the police then evacuated some nearby townhouses as a precaution, Perok said. | Police arrived at the townhouse about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Prince William Sgt. Jonathan Perok said. Abbott refused to surrender. Aware that the detective probably had weapons, the police then evacuated some nearby townhouses as a precaution, Perok said. |
| The standoff lasted for more than four hours. Abbott came outside of the townhouse and was speaking with officers, Perok said. Then, around 7 a.m., Abbott shot himself, Perok said. | The standoff lasted for more than four hours. Abbott came outside of the townhouse and was speaking with officers, Perok said. Then, around 7 a.m., Abbott shot himself, Perok said. |
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| Novice Buddhist monks react to the camera during the Jangchup Lamrim teachings conducted by the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (not pictured) at the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Bylakuppe in Karnataka, India | Novice Buddhist monks react to the camera during the Jangchup Lamrim teachings conducted by the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (not pictured) at the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Bylakuppe in Karnataka, India |
| Pope Francis waves during the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the City and the World) Christmas message from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican | Pope Francis waves during the "Urbi et Orbi" (to the City and the World) Christmas message from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican |
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| Aisha, 15, (L) (who asked to withhold her last name), a Syrian refugee from Raqqa, waits with a fellow refugee while harvesting cannabis in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon. Syrian refugees work to harvest and process spiky-leafed cannabis plants in neighboring Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Often farmers of cotton and wheat back home in Raqqa province - now the de facto capital of Islamic State - the conflict in Syria drove them to seek safety in a region where Syrian migrant workers used to spend a few months a year before returning home. | Aisha, 15, (L) (who asked to withhold her last name), a Syrian refugee from Raqqa, waits with a fellow refugee while harvesting cannabis in the Bekaa valley, Lebanon. Syrian refugees work to harvest and process spiky-leafed cannabis plants in neighboring Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Often farmers of cotton and wheat back home in Raqqa province - now the de facto capital of Islamic State - the conflict in Syria drove them to seek safety in a region where Syrian migrant workers used to spend a few months a year before returning home. |
| Students dressed up as Christmas gifts take part in a Christmas parade in Beirut, Lebanon, | Students dressed up as Christmas gifts take part in a Christmas parade in Beirut, Lebanon, |
| The first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returns to land in a time exposure at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, on the launcher's first mission since a June failure, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket carried a payload of eleven satellites owned by Orbcomm, a New Jersey-based communications company. | The first stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket returns to land in a time exposure at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, on the launcher's first mission since a June failure, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The rocket carried a payload of eleven satellites owned by Orbcomm, a New Jersey-based communications company. |
| Russian Communist party supporters hold portraits of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin as they take part in a ceremony to mark the 136th anniversary of his birth at Red Square in Moscow | Russian Communist party supporters hold portraits of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin as they take part in a ceremony to mark the 136th anniversary of his birth at Red Square in Moscow |
| AFP/Getty | AFP/Getty |
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| Left-wing Podemos (We Can) party leader Pablo Iglesias casts his vote in Spain's general election in Madrid, Spain | Left-wing Podemos (We Can) party leader Pablo Iglesias casts his vote in Spain's general election in Madrid, Spain |
| Reuters | Reuters |
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| Reuters | Reuters |
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| AFP | AFP |
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| Filipino children rest next to damaged houses in the typhoon-hit town of Magallanes, Sorsogon province, southern Manila, Philippines. At least four people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced as a powerful typhoon pummelled the Philippines for the second day, officials said. Typhoon Melor also toppled trees and electric posts, totally and partially destroyed houses, as well as rice paddies submerged in waters, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Thousands of air and sea passengers were stranded in different ports and airports as 64 domestic flights were cancelled while hundreds of ships stopped from sailing due to bad weather | Filipino children rest next to damaged houses in the typhoon-hit town of Magallanes, Sorsogon province, southern Manila, Philippines. At least four people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced as a powerful typhoon pummelled the Philippines for the second day, officials said. Typhoon Melor also toppled trees and electric posts, totally and partially destroyed houses, as well as rice paddies submerged in waters, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). Thousands of air and sea passengers were stranded in different ports and airports as 64 domestic flights were cancelled while hundreds of ships stopped from sailing due to bad weather |
| Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) jump as part of their winter training in temperature of negative 26 degrees Celsius at China's border with Russia in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, China | Soldiers of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) jump as part of their winter training in temperature of negative 26 degrees Celsius at China's border with Russia in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, China |
| Abbott was the lead detective in a child pornography investigation last year in which a Manassas City teen was charged with sending explicit video of himself to his girlfriend. In order to establish that the teen was the person in the video, Abbott and Prince William prosecutors obtained a search warrant to take a photo of the teen’s erect penis, for comparison with the explicit video. | Abbott was the lead detective in a child pornography investigation last year in which a Manassas City teen was charged with sending explicit video of himself to his girlfriend. In order to establish that the teen was the person in the video, Abbott and Prince William prosecutors obtained a search warrant to take a photo of the teen’s erect penis, for comparison with the explicit video. |
| The teen’s attorneys criticized the warrant as inappropriate, and the police and prosecutors later withdrew it. The teen was later placed on probationfor a year, and police said in a news release that prosecutors had instructed Abbott to obtain the controversial warrant. | The teen’s attorneys criticized the warrant as inappropriate, and the police and prosecutors later withdrew it. The teen was later placed on probationfor a year, and police said in a news release that prosecutors had instructed Abbott to obtain the controversial warrant. |
| Abbott then sued the teen’s defence attorney and her firm, accusing them of defamation for a critical comment the lawyer allegedly made in The Washington Post. Abbott dropped the lawsuit last month, but the case was not over. The teen’s family hired Alexandria civil rights lawyer Victor Glasberg, who notified Abbott, his department and the prosecutors in August of his intent to file a federal lawsuit over their handling of the case. Glasberg said on Tuesday he did not know whether he would proceed with the suit. | Abbott then sued the teen’s defence attorney and her firm, accusing them of defamation for a critical comment the lawyer allegedly made in The Washington Post. Abbott dropped the lawsuit last month, but the case was not over. The teen’s family hired Alexandria civil rights lawyer Victor Glasberg, who notified Abbott, his department and the prosecutors in August of his intent to file a federal lawsuit over their handling of the case. Glasberg said on Tuesday he did not know whether he would proceed with the suit. |
| “This is a tragic and sad day for the Abbott family, the juvenile victims and their families, the Manassas City Police Department, and our community,” Manassas City police said in a statement. “In spite of these recent developments regarding the serious allegations against him, we are grateful for the contributions Det. Abbott made during his time with Manassas City Police, to include the prosecution and conviction of hundreds of criminals.”Abbott was the lead detective in the investigation of serial child predator Kevin Ricks, sentenced to 45 years in prison for molestations in Virginia and Maryland. | “This is a tragic and sad day for the Abbott family, the juvenile victims and their families, the Manassas City Police Department, and our community,” Manassas City police said in a statement. “In spite of these recent developments regarding the serious allegations against him, we are grateful for the contributions Det. Abbott made during his time with Manassas City Police, to include the prosecution and conviction of hundreds of criminals.”Abbott was the lead detective in the investigation of serial child predator Kevin Ricks, sentenced to 45 years in prison for molestations in Virginia and Maryland. |
| Abbott’s department said it was aware of the new investigation but did not speak with him about it prior to his suicide Tuesday. | Abbott’s department said it was aware of the new investigation but did not speak with him about it prior to his suicide Tuesday. |
| R.J. Ziegler, general manager of the Potomac Patriots, said the hockey club was saddened by the news. “We are taking steps to ensure that the needs and well-being of the club’s children, families and staff are being attended to at this time,” Ziegler said. | R.J. Ziegler, general manager of the Potomac Patriots, said the hockey club was saddened by the news. “We are taking steps to ensure that the needs and well-being of the club’s children, families and staff are being attended to at this time,” Ziegler said. |
| © Washington Post | © Washington Post |