WASHINGTON — It was a Manassas City case that attracted a lot of attention
this past summer: A 17-year-old boy was not only accused of possessing and distributing child pornography by
exchanging sexually explicit photos and videos with his 15-year-old
girlfriend, but also was supposedly going to be photographed in an aroused
state so they could compare those images to the ones on his girlfriend’s
phone.
Now, the lead detective in that case is suing the defense lawyer for
defamation, claiming she made false statements about how it all happened.
Manassas City Police Detective David Abbott tells the
Washington Post that the order to compare photographs of the boy, which
was never carried out, came from the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office, not
from him. He claims in his suit that defense lawyer Jessica Harbeson Foster
told the Post in July that Abbott had said he would compare the photos.
Abbott claims in his suit that he has suffered media scrutiny, embarrassment,
death threats and injury to his reputation.
Manassas City Police Chief Douglas Keen told the Post that Abbott didn’t
contact him before filing the suit, and wouldn’t comment on it.
In August, the boy was sentenced to a year’s probation and ordered
to stay off social media for a year.
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