Fairfax County Sexual Assault Suspect Charged With Another Incident

WOODLAWN, VA — A man accused of sexually assaulting a child at Lake Accotink Park in Springfield was connected to another sexual assault in Woodlawn, according to Fairfax County Police.

A DNA match connected Louis C. Allen, 42, to a sexual assault in Woodlawn on Feb. 2, police say. The incident happened at the female victim's apartment building in the 8300 block of Brockham Place, where the suspect grabbed her from behind and sexually assaulted her. The victim fought off the suspect, and he ran away from the property. However, he left behind property, which was sent to the Department of Forensic Science for DNA testing.

The DNA testing revealed Allen's DNA was on the evidence, police say. Detectives traveled to Tennessee, where Allen is being held on charges of sexual exploitation of a minor and aggravated photography of a minor, to get a DNA confirmation. Detectives obtained warrants for charges of abduction with the intent to defile and object sexual penetration for the Woodlawn sexual assault.

Allen was initially charged in relation to a May 21 sexual assault of a juvenile at Lake Accotink Park. Police responded to the park, where the victim said a man approached at the playground. Police say the suspect unlawfully touched the victim's thigh, and the victim left the area to avoid the suspect. According to police, the suspect followed the victim into the water and unlawfully touched her again.

The victim told family about the assault. When family confronted the suspect, he got into a vehicle and fled. The family provided information to police on the suspect from cell phone footage and the vehicle’s registration.

At the time, police obtained a warrant for an aggravated sexual battery charge. Detectives and the U.S. Marshals Service worked to track Allen, and he was arrested three days after the Lake Accotink Park assault. He was also served with warrants on charges of two counts of failure to appear and one count of simple assault against a family member. He had been taken to the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center and held without bond.

While Allen is being held for charges in Tennessee, he will be extradited to Fairfax County for charges relating to the Lake Accotink Park sexual assault. A hearing is expected in February.