Culpeper Officers Test Positive After Handling Domestic Assault

CULPEPER, VA — Two Culpeper Police Department officers tested positive for the coronavirus Saturday after responding to a domestic assault incident earlier in the week, the police department said Monday. The police officers became symptomatic Saturday and were tested later that day. They are now self-isolating at home.

During the early morning hours of April 28, the two Culpeper police officers, along with another officer, responded to a domestic violence assault incident. A man was assaulting a female in a residence in the town of Culpeper, the police department said.

When officers attempted to arrest the man, he allegedly ignored all verbal commands and resisted arrest. The three officers had to go “hands on” with the man to get him into custody, according to the police department.

Once the man was in custody for domestic assault, he was then taken to the Culpeper County Jail where he was medically screened for coronavirus before entering the jail. Based on the results of the screening, officers diverted the subject to the Novant/UVA Culpeper Medical Center to be medically cleared, including being tested for coronavirus. The man tested positive for the coronavirus.

After the positive test result, the man was then transferred to the Culpeper County Jail where he was held with no bond. The man also was served with a protective order for no contact with the victim.

Later on April 28, a bond hearing was held for the man in the Culpeper Juvenile Domestic and Relations Court where he was released from custody with an unsecured bond and referred to pre-trial services through the Culpeper County Probation Office.

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Culpeper Police Department policy is that all officers and civilian employees are to wear protective personal equipment when dealing with any member of the public. Due to the nature of an active assault and battery when officers arrived, they were not wearing PPE when inside the residence, the police department said. The third officer is currently under precautionary quarantine and has not shown any symptoms consistent with the coronavirus.

“Officers, deputies, paramedics, and firefighters are being called every day to people’s houses, into businesses, and other locations not knowing of the dangers that may exist, including COVID-19," Culpeper Police Chief Chris Jenkins said Monday in a statement. "These officers responded to a violent crime and had no idea that their lives would change in an instant just by doing their jobs and protecting a victim against her assailant.”

The man who "gave them this virus continues to roam the streets potentially infecting many other people in our community,” Jenkins said.

The Culpeper Police Department said it has an additional officer in quarantine due to direct exposure of coronavirus.

The Culpeper Police Department will continue to monitor all four officers and provide them with support, such as providing PPE to family members. The police department said it expects the officers to be quarantined for the next several weeks. The officers will return to full duty once they receive medical clearance.

The police department said it will not be releasing the suspect’s name or the officers’ names for medical privacy reasons.