Stepdad arrested on intercourse crimes 10 years after Virginia teen disappeared
A Virginia man has been arrested on a slew of heinous baby intercourse crimes in opposition to his stepdaughters — and one in every of his younger victims has been lacking for greater than a decade, in response to investigators.
James Branton was hit with eight fees together with two counts every of kid cruelty, indecent publicity of a kid, custodial indecent liberties and aggravated sexual battery, authorities mentioned Friday.
The crimes date again to June 2006, and the purported victims had been Katelin Akens and her little sister. Akens was 10 and her sister was 8 on the time of the alleged abuse, WUSA9 reported.
Branton, 46, was taken into custody on Friday — 10 years after Akens vanished earlier than she was alleged to board a flight on Dec. 5, 2015.
Branton — who’s believed to be the final individual to have seen her — allegedly advised investigators he dropped her off close to a Metro station and he or she was alleged to take the prepare to the airport.
The then-19-year-old was on her technique to go to her fiancé and her mom, Lisa Sullivan, in Arizona, in response to WUSA9.
Sullivan acquired a textual content from Akens round 2 p.m. the day she went lacking, saying she arrived at Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport.
However Akens by no means boarded her flight, and investigators mentioned that her cellphone was by no means on the airport.
Two days later, her baggage, together with her pockets and ID, had been present in a ditch.
Branton reportedly agreed to cooperate with investigators in Akens’ lacking individuals case at first, however then refused to show over his cellphone passwords or take a polygraph take a look at, in response to the information station.
State and federal authorities launched a probe into Branton’s Spotsylvania County dwelling on Friday — utilizing excavators and ground-penetrating radar tools all through the operation.
They returned to the property Saturday, this time accompanied by the Workplace of Chief Medical Examiner.
“They’re on the lookout for something indicative of against the law being dedicated,” a Spotsylvania Sheriff’s Workplace official advised The Submit.
Whereas nobody has been charged with Akens’ disappearance, Branton is a chief suspect, he mentioned.
“This investigation stays open and energetic. We recognize the continued help from our native, state, and federal regulation enforcement companions,” the sheriff’s workplace mentioned in an announcement.
Branton is being held at Rappahannock Regional Jail with out bond.
The OCME didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
