Woodbridge, Va. –– Overall crime in Prince William County fell slightly in the past year, according to newly released crime statistics.
Falling slightly was the number of rapes that were reported, down four from the five-year high in 2009 of 57 reported rapes in Prince William.
Police heralded the capturing the notorious East Coast Rapist that terrorized women for 14 years, and in his most recent suspected attack, raping two of three girls behind in woods behind a shopping center at gunpoint in Dale City on Halloween night 2009.
“This was a case that we put a lot of effort into…this is truly a stranger abduction, rape of the worst kind,” said Prince William Police Chief Charlie T. Deane.
As the county population increased over the past year, the county’s overall crime rate slightly fell from 19.5 to 19.2 percent. That continues a trend of a falling crime rate over the past five years, when it was at a recent high of 21.6 percent in 2006, according to the crime stats report.
The number of murders in the county fell last year by one to nine, and all of which have been solved, said Deane.
There were some categories of crime that rose last year, including larcenies (virtually any type of theft), and cases of aggravated assault.
Of the 224 people charged with aggravated assault last year, at least 20 of them used a firearm, knife or some type of cutting instrument.
Several illegal immigrants were arrested last year, including 274 for not having a driver’s license, six for rape and three for murder.
Prince William began keeping track of illegal immigrants who were arrested after county officials passed an illegal immigration ordinance in 2008.
