Virginia man arrested in Newport News for assaulting, abducting 16-year-old in Leesburg
Joel Hernandez-Melendez, 20. (Credit: Leesburg Police Department)
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - A 20-year-old man accused of abducting and assaulting a 16-year-old girl in Leesburg, Virginia last month has been taken into custody, according to police.
The Leesburg Police Department says Joel Hernandez-Melendez was arrested on Wednesday in Newport News with the help of the Newport News Police Department and the United States Marshals Service.
According to investigators, on August 19, Hernandez-Melendez assaulted Yelsi Mendez-Chicas, 16, of Leesburg and abducted her by force after the two got into a fight at a home in the 0-99 block of Fort Evans Road NE.
Yelsi Mendez-Chicas, 16, of Leesburg. (Credit: Leesburg Police Department)
Police announced that Mendez-Chicas was safely located two days after reporting her abduction, but said that Hernandez-Melendez was still on the run at that time.
Hernandez-Melendez is charged with one count of abduction and one count of assault and battery. He is being held without bond.
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Investigators say that Hernandez-Melendez and Mendez-Chicas knew each other prior to the incident.