Woman Solicits Child via the Internet

Grace Palo

WMAL.com

WASHINGTON — (WMAL) A 24-year-old female was charged with four felony counts of use of communications systems to facilitate certain offenses involving children under 15 years of age. This was a result of a joint investigation between detectives from the Fairfax County Police Department’s Major Crimes Division, as well as agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation Task Force.

On Saturday April 16, at around 1 p.m., Kathleen Antonina Capitano, 24, of Shallotte, North Carolina, arrived at a hotel in Herndon with the apparent intent of meeting a 13-year-old boy for the purposes of engaging in sex.

Law enforcement authorities had been alerted to her online activity before this event and were waiting for her. At the hotel, Capitano was taken into custody.

Detectives met with the child in question and his parents prior to Capitano’s arrival in Fairfax County.

During the initial investigation that began on Monday, April 11, 2016, detectives determined that Capitano met the young victim while she was a student teacher at Coates Elementary School in Herndon in 2015.

The case is still under investigation and additional charges are possible.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Solvers electronically by visiting http://www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting “TIP187” plus your message to CRIMES(274637)** or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS(8477), or call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131.

(PHOTO: Flickr)