Eight men were arrested in Prince William County for sex charges after Locust Shade Park was staked out for being a meeting place for men to share sexual encounters, police said yesterday.
The arrests and investigation have been ongoing since the beginning of May, and six of the men charged are from the Fredericksburg area.
Sharon Richardson, public information specialist for the Prince William County Police Department, said undercover officers from the Special Crimes Unit went into the park after several citizen complaints.
She said the men are accused of frequenting the park to solicit each other for sex. The charges they are facing vary from solicitation for crimes against nature to obscene sexual display.
All of the men charged were arrested in daylight hours on one of three specific dates: May 1, May 8 or June 12, Richardson said.
She said that the crime unit has made some arrests, but it will continue to patrol the park.
"The goal is to urge people to act responsibly and not do these kinds of acts in public," she said.
A Web site that lists meeting places for people looking for sexual encounters includes the park as a place to meet partners.
Richardson said the men who are charged with inappropriate acts at the park were not targeting any children, only other consenting adults.
She said, however, that there was a concern because Locust Shade Park is very family-oriented.
It is often used by Scout troops, families who fish in the lake and others who come to enjoy the public space, she said.
"The department was concerned for the kids and families who want to enjoy the park," she said.
All of the men arrested were taken to the Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center and some have posted bond, Richardson said.
The men charged are:
Charles R. Randall, 57, of Fredericksburg, is charged with solicitation for crimes against nature; Paul A. Cupka Jr., 50, of Stafford, charged with obscene sexual display and indecent exposure; Edwin G. Lowther, 41, of Lake Ridge, is charged with obscene sexual display and indecent exposure; Charles D. Ross, 44, of Stafford, is charged with solicitation for crimes against nature, indecent exposure and obscene sexual display.
Also, William M. Stewart, 50, of Stafford, is charged with solicitation for crimes against nature; David W. Ford, 45, of Dumfries, is charged with solicitation for crimes against nature, obscene sexual display and indecent exposure;
Also, James M. Anderson, 51, of Stafford, is charged with criminal solicitation, indecent exposure and obscene sexual display; William D. Jones, 45, of Stafford, is charged with criminal solicitation, indecent exposure and obscene sexual display.
Ellen Biltz: 540/374-5424
Email: ebiltz@freelancestar.com