Counter Pedophilia Investigate Unit

The victim was allegedly tied to a chair and struck with a belt. He sustained severe bruising and lacerations.

A Lake Ridge man and a Dumfries woman were charged April 11 with the abuse of a child in Lake Ridge on April 7, police spokesperson Jonathan Perok said.

A police investigation into the child abuse allegations revealed that a 13-year-old boy had been hit with a belt on his back, head, face, neck, and arms until he sustained severe bruising and lacerations. The victim was allegedly tied to a chair and later to a stair handrail with electrical cord and a rope, Perok said. (more…)

Parents generally teach their children about “stranger danger” from an early age, telling them not to talk to, walk with or take gifts or candy from strangers. But statistics show danger often lurks closer to home.

According to numbers provided by the National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, the vast majority of children who are sexually abused are abused by someone they know – most often a family member, an adult the family trusts or, in some instances, another child. (more…)