Youth Group Director Arrested For Sexual Assault: Police

MANASSAS, VA — The Prince William County Police Department arrested a man Tuesday for allegedly sexually assaulting a juvenile in the Manassas area. The suspect, Juan Fernando Miranda, was serving as director of the Pathfinders youth group at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County where the victim was a member.

Miranda, 29, of Oxon Hill, Maryland, is charged with two counts of indecent liberties by a custodian. He is being held without bond in the Prince William County jail.

Last October, detectives with the Prince William County police's Special Victims Unit, with assistance from the Fairfax County Police Department, began an investigation into a sexual assault committed in the Manassas area in August 2018.

During the investigation, detectives determined the victim, who was 17 years old at the time, was sexually assaulted by Miranda on more than one occasion. Pathfinders work with children in the Seventh-day Adventist Church who are 10 years and older.

The alleged encounters took place at a hotel in the Manassas area. The victim recently reported the incidents, prompting the police investigation, the Prince William County police said.