Va. police captain still jailed
Chesterfield County police.
Edward L. Hope Jr. is a 30-year veteran of the Virginia State Police.
The young girl at the center of allegations of child sexual abuse by Virginia State Police Capt. Edward L. Hope Jr. endured "two to three years of almost daily molestation" beginning when she was 8, a prosecutor charged yesterday.
Hope, now 52, committed various sex acts with the girl, now 12, between two and five years ago, Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney M. Duncan Minton Jr. said during a bond hearing for Hope yesterday in Chesterfield County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
The alleged abuse occurred when the girl was 8, 9 and 10 years old, the prosecutor said. The Richmond Times-Dispatch is not identifying the girl.
Hope is charged with a single count of forcibly sodomizing a girl younger than 13 between September 2002 and September 2003, but the prosecution intends to seek more charges.
Hope was placed on administrative leave without pay after his arrest Jan. 26. At the time, he was commander of the department's Information Technology Division.
The allegations surfaced after the girl was asked to corroborate similar allegations made by an older sister, who now lives in Alabama, Minton said.
"She gave a very detailed description of what happened," Minton said of the local girl, who described various sexual acts.
Minton said that because the victim is only 12, she would only know about the sex acts "the way she knows about it if it happened to her."
But defense attorney Michael HuYoung said the allegations are false and the product of a contentious family situation that ended badly. HuYoung said it is not uncommon for child-abuse allegations to arise from unresolved domestic matters.
"There is no physical evidence," HuYoung said in asking Judge Jerry Hendrick Jr. to set reasonable bond for his client. "All we have are allegations."
Minton urged that Hope remain jailed without bond, but Hendrick set bond at $10,000 with several conditions.
He ordered Hope to have no contact with the girl or her family, to stay at his principal residence in Goochland County and to make several checks a week with the court's pre-trial service unit. Hope also is prohibited from handling weapons.
But Hendrick's ruling will not allow Hope to be released immediately from jail, even it he can post bond. Later yesterday, Minton appealed the judge's decision to Chesterfield Circuit Court, so Hope will remain behind bars until another hearing this week.
In urging that Hope be released, HuYoung described the officer as a valued member of Virginia State Police who has served with distinction for 30 years.
HuYoung said the Portsmouth native graduated first in his class after joining the force in 1979 and earned one of the department's highest honors -- the Police Superintendent's Award of Merit -- for his work in a major drug and alcohol undercover operation in the mid-1980s.
He also was one of the youngest troopers to be promoted to sergeant and received numerous commendations as a trooper. "He has a stellar record," HuYoung said.
Contacted yesterday about Hope's record as an officer, department spokeswoman Corinne Geller said no record could be found of Hope receiving the Police Superintendent's Award of Merit -- the department's second-highest honor.
Hope was supported yesterday by more than a dozen family members and friends, who watched as Hope appeared via closed-circuit television from the county jail.
Minton said additional charges -- perhaps 10 or more -- will be sought against Hope in the form of indictments when the Chesterfield grand jury meets next month.
A preliminary hearing in his case has been set for March 24 before Judge Edward A. Robbins Jr. of Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.
Contact Mark Bowes at (804) 649-6450 or
.
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Reader Reactions
ghgirl, Why dont you become a cop and see how it is? Stop running your mouth making stupid comments about a job you dont do and obviously know nothing about. If you have a job what do you do and how does it qualify you to critique law enforcement?
The only person saying Hope has a “steller record” with the state police is his defense attorney. Doubt it! The only thing confirmed was that there was NO record of Hope receiving the award of merit as his attorney indicated. His attorney probably does believe Hope is inocent, that’s his job. All that means is that he too has been fooled by an obvious liar.
qhgirl, I have meet and worked with many fine law enforcement personnel who not only weren’t on a power trip but spent many off duty hours on volunteer work. As has been stated he is innocent until proven guilty but for all concerned he should be kept away from the family and firearms. Let the courts determine guilt and innocence. Ask the coach in Chesterfield who was accused of similiar crimes that proved to be false. The accusers wanted to play more and thought they could blackmail the coaches by makeing these type of accusations. He was cleared and nothing has been done to any of the accusers. Is Hope innocent? I don’t know but he gets his day in court just like everybody else does. Find a way to have better contact with police officers and you might see a difference. No, I have never been a police officer.
I suspect that this man is much safer in jail then to be let loose, hopefully they will provide him with a speedy trial instead of dragging it out for a year or so while the lawyers get fat. It shouldn’t be that hard to determine the truth and check stories.
No surprise here. I have never met a cop who wasn’t on a power trip. Sure, their jobs may have some stress.. but seems like most of the time they are hassling people over minor speeding issues and staying out of harm’s way. Anyone remember the restaurant owner shot and killed with undercover officers in the same parking lot last year?
Michael HuYoung is a very good, ethical attorney. Not an ambulance chaser, nor someone who specializes in getting violent criminals ‘off the hook’. He must really believe that Hope is innocent to even take this type of case.
Folks, let’s remember that the laws guaranteeing due process do not apply in domestic cases. The courts act based on a presumption of guilt in order to protect the accuser. Understand, too, that this child will not have to face him in court. This man may be guilty, or he may be the target of a well-aimed plot to destroy him.
Accusations of violence and/or sexual abuse are common tactics used by women to gain an upper hand in custody and divorce cases. I have no idea if that is the situation here, but it bears watching with a suspicious eye.
It is relatively easy to twist the mind of a young child and convince the child of memories. The idea that a 12 year old could only describe certain sexual acts based on first-hand knowledge is hogwash. At that age, she has likely been exposed to sexually-explicit material. That is not such a young age. Since she was corroborating an older sister’s claims, then it is also likely that she was coached by the sister, or another trusted adult. Maybe the 12 year old wants to live with her sister and has been told this is a good way to get there.
Whether or not he has committed a crime, his life has come to a grinding halt. Career destroyed. No income to pay for a decent legal defense. His conviction and sentence are already being carried out, long before he’s had an opportunity to defend himself.
He may very well be guilty. We will never know for certain, as our domestic relations laws are biased against men/fathers and our domestic relation courts are grossly negligent in uncovering truth.
Every story doesn’t have an innocent 9, 10, and 11 year old and the girl’s sister confirming vile acts by this man. I hope the prosecutors appeal this and keep the man in jail as long as possible.
This is not a DUI charge this is a charge that has ruined a girl’s childhood and, potentially, her adult life. I hope the police bring a charge for every time he did anything wrong. This conduct is not tolerable.
Keep appealing ... good job ... I bet the coward doesn’t stay away from guns when he gets out and takes his worthless life…30 years as a police officer, so what?
Let’s recap, cops beat up a guy in the Shockoe Bottom and cover it up ... VCU police chief solicits 14year old for sex, and now a high ranking Virginia State Police officer molests a 9 year old for three years.
Guilty, guilty, guilty.
...and just because someone say’s that you’ve done something doesn’t mean you are guilty. Stop trying to convict the man before you know the whole story, and remember that there are two sides to EVERY story.
Just because someone has 30 yrs. without incident, it doesnt’ clear one of criminal conduct. People with power are very good at hiding what they do and manipulating others.
If he didn’t do this, I hope the truth comes out. If he did…may he rot in h**l.
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