Suspected Serial Sex Offender Allegedly Takes Clothes Off as He's Arrested Near Children in Park

On Thursday, a suspected serial sex offender was arrested and quickly undressed before he was taken into police custody: Virginia police

A suspected serial sex offender was arrested last week, after an incident of indecent exposure in the Groveton, Virginia area, per police.

At 7:01 p.m. ET on Thursday evening, officers from the Fairfax County Police Department's Technical Investigations Unit (TIU) were notified that there was a man who had taken off his clothes in a park with children nearby, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a press release Saturday. The man allegedly matched the description of a recent indecent exposure suspect.

Officers from the Franconia and Mount Vernon police districts arrived at the scene on Telegraph Road, and the suspect began to flee. “As the suspect ran, he began to disrobe and throw his outer layer of clothing into the woods. Officers caught up to the man and placed him under arrest,” police said.

The suspect, Felix Antonio Mejias Vigil, 35, was later arrested and charged with two counts of indecent liberties with a child under 15, four counts of actual/simulated masturbation in public, and false identification to law enforcement.

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Mejias Vigil is being held at the Adult Detention Center with no bond, police said.

A spokesperson for Fairfax County Police Department confirmed to PEOPLE the investigation is ongoing.

Related: Former Kansas Police Officer Charged in Series of Alleged Sex Crimes

After an investigation and interview with Mejas Vigil, police said he is believed to be the suspect in the following cases that occurred between July and September of this year in Fairfax County:

• June or July of 2023 // 6600 block of Telegraph Rd // Obscene Sexual Gestures

• July 28 at 4:15 p.m. // 6500 block of Virginia Hills Pool Rd//Indecent Liberties

• September 19 at approximately 7:00 p.m. // 6600 block of Telegraph Rd // Obscene Sexual Gestures

• September 22 at 4:00 p.m. // 6600 block of Telegraph Rd // Obscene Sexual Gestures

• September 22 at 5:04 p.m. // 6500 block of Diana Ln // Obscene Sexual Gestures

Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to call Fairfax County Police's Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 3. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone – 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), and by web.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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