Gay Sex in Park ‘Worse’ Despite Arrests
Washington Times,
November 25, 2002
3600 New York Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20002
Fax: 202-269-3419
Email: letter@twtmail.com
By Jon Ward, The Washington Times
Prince William County residents near Conway Robinson State Park say that
homosexual men continue to go there for public sex, despite the recent
sentencing of more than 50 people arrested in stings during the summer.
"I think it’s worse than it was before," said Deedee Schaeffer,
co-owner of a diner near the 400-acre, unstaffed reserve on Route 28 in
Manassas. "They’re just slapping them on the wrists."
Prince William County officials said most of the men were charged with
misdemeanors and received probation or one-year jail sentences that were
suspended or reduced to 10 days. They also paid fines of $120 to $200.
However, one man was charged with a felony count for sodomy and received a
suspended sentence of five years. Five other men also face felony charges that
carry sentences of one to five years in jail, officials said.
The arrests follow undercover stings in May and August by state police who
arrested the men on charges including criminal solicitation, disorderly
conduct, indecent exposure, sodomy and assault and battery, officials said.
The troopers said that some of the men grabbed and groped them during the
arrests, and that they were occasionally assaulted while trying to serve the
arrest warrants.
The stings occurred after Boy Scouts working on their merit badges found a
used condom and observed men engaging in sexual activity in the park.
If the men are caught returning to the park or the Manassas Battlefield
State Park or the rest stops near the Fairfax County line on Route 66, they
will have to serve the remainder of their suspended sentences and could face
additional trespassing charges that would add a year to their prison terms,
said Prince William County Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Claiborne T.
Richardson II.
Miss Schaeffer thinks the sentences will make no difference.
"It would if the penalty were more harsh," she said. "But
they’re not getting anything."
Residents say they are not comfortable visiting the park.
"It’s a shame," said 66-year-old Roy Dennis, who has lived in
the area for 33 years. "That’s a good little park. It’s a shame you
cannot use it for what it’s supposed to be used for. You’ve got a group of
individuals doing acts that you don’t want your children to come
across."
Mr. Richardson thinks the penalties will make a difference.
"Judges have been stating they felt this was a strong enough
deterrent, and they’ve made open statements in court that if [the men] are
found in those areas they have no problem giving them the rest of these
sentences, and that they will do whatever is necessary to give these places
back to the public," he said.
Police continue to investigate the problem.
"We anticipate future operations at different times, wherever our
services are requested, until the problem is solved," said Lucy Caldwell,
state police spokeswoman.
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