Officials Say W&OD Trail Is Still Mostly Safe

Users Are Urged To Be Cautious

By Jonathan Mummolo (Contact)

Sunday, June 21, 2009

As long as precautions are taken, the Washington & Old Dominion Trail remains a relatively safe place, despite two recent cases of men exposing themselves to women and a string of home invasions in nearby residences in the fall, Loudoun County authorities said.

Being aware of one's surroundings is important, authorities said, and wearing headphones can be a distraction. It's also wise to stay in groups, let someone know where you are on the trail and when you expect to return, carry a cellphone and know your location, they said.

On Monday, two women walking with children saw a man expose himself along the trail near Ashburn Road and Smith Switch Road, authorities said. A few days earlier, a female cyclist along the trail near Herndon saw a man expose himself.

The incidents were the latest reported criminal activity on the trail, an area that, in recent years, has had occasional crime that has alarmed residents. Last year, authorities were searching for a suspect in more than a dozen home invasions, several of which occurred in houses near the trail. In those cases, several women reported being inappropriately touched by a man who broke into their houses, authorities said.

A "person of interest" in custody on unrelated charges was investigated last year in the home invasions, but no charges have been filed in the incidents. There was also a string of exposures by a man in 2002, authorities said.

Despite the recent incidents and previous ones, authorities said, the overall number of crimes on the trail, which is off-limits at night, remains x low.

Last year on the trail, there were two thefts, one robbery and an auto theft, probably in a trail parking lot, said Kraig Troxell, spokesman for the Loudoun Sheriff's Office. This year, two thefts have been reported on the trail.

"We don't have some of the issues you might think are associated with these types of paths that are sometimes known to attract crime," Troxell said.

The suspect in Monday's exposure is described as being in his 50s, heavy-set and with short or balding hair. He was wearing shorts and no shirt. The man in Friday's case was described as a male in his 20s who was wearing sunglasses, a white baseball cap, a white T-shirt and khaki shorts.

Tagged: crime, Loudoun Sheriff's Office, police, W&OD Trail

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