Fairfax trail groper charged in several sex assaults, police say

FAIRFAX, Va. - A 21-year-old man who police said sexually assaulted a woman on a walking trail in Fairfax has been charged in multiple assaults that took place along various trails in the area, according to officials.

Jeremiah Tolley, of Fairfax, was taken into custody after authorities said he grabbed a woman from behind and groped her on a trail near Waples Mill Road and Random Hills Road on Thursday.

At the time, Tolley was charged with abduction with intent to defile and sexual assault, but detectives said they were attempting to determine if he was connected to several other similar incidents that had occurred in the area.

Police said during the past two weeks there had been five reported assaults that occurred after 4 p.m. on women who were exercising on the trails.

On Tuesday, officials announced Tolley had been charged with seven additional counts of sexual assault that date back to late August. He was being held without bond. Tolley is due back in court in December.

If you believe you were the victim of an assault along a trail in the Fairfax area, you were urged to call Det. N. Porter at (703) 591-0966.