Registered sex offender walks into Fairfax County school, police say
RESTON, Va. (FOX 5 DC) - A registered sex offender has been arrested after he walked into a school in Fairfax County, according to officials.
The Fairfax County Police Department said the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Benjamin Garrett of the District, followed someone into Aldrin Elementary School in Reston at about 3:55 p.m. on Thursday.
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Garrett left the school when he was confronted by a staff member but remained on the school property, authorities stated.
Benjamin Garrett
Officers arrived at the scene and said they found Garrett as he was walking away from the school.
Garrett, who is a registered sex offender and had a warrant out for his arrest, was arrested and charged with entering school property after a violent sex offense conviction.
Officials said he was being held without bond.
Fairfax County Public Schools released the following statement:
"All Fairfax County public schools have strict visitor controls in place. The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority and we will continue to be vigilant in maintaining a secure learning environment.
Thanks to vigilant front office staff and close communication with police, the situation was handled swiftly and safely.
Briefly, here’s how our system works:
- Doors are locked and each visitor needs to be screened and then "buzzed" into the building.
- All visitors must also check in through the Visitor Management System, which automatically searches for any records pertaining to the visitor, and specifically those that will identify the individual as being a registered sex offender or convicted of a sex offense.
- The system identifies individuals with names on the national sex offender database.
- If the visitor clears the process, a photo of the visitor is captured and then a visitor badge issued."
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Aldrin Elementary home the following letter Friday:
"Dear Aldrin Families,
We wanted to share some information with you about an incident that took place yesterday. An individual entered the school yesterday just prior to dismissal time without checking in through our visitor management system. Staff quickly approached the man and inquired about his reason for being at Aldrin. We requested that he leave and he promptly left. Staff observed that he remained on the property and contacted the Fairfax County Police. Within minutes, officers responded and escorted the man off school property and we continued with dismissal, as usual.
We later learned that the police detained the individual for an outstanding warrant and was a registered sex offender; please see the police news post about the incident for more information on their daily blog under Reston District Station: https://fcpdnews.wordpress.com/2019/11/22/fcpd-daily-recap-for-friday-november-22/ .
This is a vivid reminder to all of us to exercise caution when entering and exiting the building to ensure that no unauthorized visitors inadvertently enter the building. All of us need to be vigilant to ensure the safety and security of our students, family members and staff, and if you see something unusual please report it.
Thank you for your support.
Let us know if you have any questions.
Barbara A. Gist and Rachel Charlton
Assistant Principals"