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Alexandria Sex Crimes Investigations

If you have been accused of a sex offense, then you likely are already being investigated or will soon be the subject of a sex crime investigation. Alexandria sex crimes investigations are often thorough in their scope and could have serious repercussions for you. A determined sex crimes attorney could work to achieve a positive outcome for you. Work with a skilled lawyer that could protect your rights during a sex crimes investigation.

Sex Crime Investigation Process

Sex crimes in Alexandria and the rest of Virginia are generally initiated when the alleged victim comes forward to the authorities.

During Alexandria sex crimes investigations, authorities will interview the person for their version of the story, the loss, and cause, and certain testing to be done to confirm an allegation of sexual penetration. The test might also yield some DNA or other kinds of evidence that could potentially be used against the defendant. Then, the authorities talk to the accused to see if they will give statements, or confirm or deny the allegation.

After that, what occurs depends on the kind of crime that is alleged, as to what other evidence they might seek, and whether there were other witnesses, although there usually are none in sex crimes. All of the evidence will be packaged and presented to a Commonwealth attorney to decide whether to charge the accused and if so, in what capacity.

Agencies Responsible for Investigating

Most police departments have a special victims unit that investigates sex crimes so the initial investigation of a sex crime is done by the detective and the special victims unit of the police department. When an alleged victim comes forward, they are assigned to a detective who will take their information and decide whether to go forward from there.

Are Investigations Common Prior to Arrests in Sex Crime Cases?

Not only are Alexandria sex crimes investigations common prior to arrests in sex crime cases, the police do not arrest somebody based on an allegation. They need more information, more corroborating evidence to go forward. Sometimes an investigation will yield no corroboration, but they still try to go forward based solely on the word of the alleged victim. They will still investigate to see if other evidence exists to corroborate what the alleged victim said.

Tools and Tactics Used to Investigate Sex Crimes

The kinds of tools or tactics used to collect evidence in a sexual assault investigation would include an examination at the hospital, performed by a nurse who is licensed to conduct such examinations. The evidence collected may be in terms of DNA, or video or photographic evidence if there are injuries, and all of that will be put through whatever appropriate testing is needed depending on the results of the evaluation and examination.

Importance of an Alexandria Sex Crimes Attorney

Being accused of or investigated for a sex crime is a potentially life-altering event and for that reason alone, it is important that a person hire an experienced sex crimes attorney. If the person is ultimately charged and convicted of a sex crime, they can be facing a significant amount of time in prison. It is always a good idea to hire an attorney as soon as a person finds out they are being investigated, so the attorney can follow in the steps of the investigators and try to steer the investigation and explain the type of aggression that they believe is appropriate.

Having a lawyer by their side in every step is very important, particularly in the event the police want to talk to the person. Most of the time in sex crimes cases, they will want to talk to the accused so they can get their version of it, but an attorney will know when that is advisable for the accused. If an individual wants to know more about what to expect from Alexandria sex crimes investigations, they should consult a capable attorney.