Charlottesville, VA-  Sean Michael Horn, 42, current Albemarle County reserve deputy and former police officer for the University of Virginia  as well as the Albemarle Sheriffs Office was arrested last evening for rape. The arrest  follows an extensive investigation conducted by the prosecutors office.

While there has been no specifics released, and it is the policy of www.blinkoncrime not to identify alleged victims of sexual crimes,  we have learned that a complaint of rape against Horn was received in the Fall of 2011.

The arrest follows what can only be described as a series of chaotic incidents and events affecting Albemarle county law enforcement officers since 2009 at a minimum.

Following the death of 18 year old Greene County resident Colby Eppard on New Years Day 2010 by police gunfire, 7 Albemarle county officers were either suspended and/or demoted.  Caleb Marden, a decorated sharp-shooter who served in Iraq was fired.   Denise Lunsord,  prosecutor for Albemarle county and North Garden resident, cleared all officers of any wrongdoing from the incident.

Eppard allegedly stole a neighboring Greene County patrol car and traveled almost 60 miles to Albemarle county. Although off duty Greene Sgt Randall Snead  was out of his jurisdiction, Snead was among the officers in pursuit of Eppard and participated in the ambush to stop the teen.  Snead’s former mentor and Sherriff, Willie Morris,  committed suicide on January 28th.

Although he was on desk assignment pending the investigation of Eppard’s death, Snead responded to the scene of Morris’s home where he was located and rushed to the hospital.  Morris was removed from life sustaining efforts without ever regaining consciousness.    A suicide note blamed his tinnitus condition.

In a recent election, Steve Smith won the Sheriff slot running against Snead, and has since met with controversy after releasing nearly all of his staff.   An email criticizing Smith was received by several news outlets from a previously fired Albemarle County Lt. Scott Cox, then a Greene county deputy who has since been released.   Horn has Sheriff Smith listed as a friend on his facebook profile.  Cox was among the Albemarle County Officers who was demoted after 18 years of service in the scandal.

Albemarle county is also the home of The Anchorage Farm,  where murdered Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington was recovered after exhaustive searches of the areas surrounding the JPJ arena, UVA campus and private LE searches failed to locate her.   Harrington disappeared from a Metallica concert at the John Paul Jones Arena on October 17, 2009 after being refused re-entry by security.  DNA evidence has linked the Harrington case to a suspect in an unsolved rape in Fairfax, VA in 2005.  Former lead detective now retired, Lt. Rader,  has only indicated that forensic link means that Morgan came into contact with that individual prior to leaving Charlottesville.

Efforts to confirm whether Sean Horn was working the event as a UVA officer that evening have not been returned.

Corrine Geller,  public information officer for the Virginia State Police,  whose agency leads the probe into Morgan’s homicide responded to our inquiry as to whether or not Horn was a target of their continuing investigation this morning:

“The investigation remains ongoing at this time. I’m not able to comment on who our agents have or have not looked into during the course of their investigation.”

Horn lists Virginia Tech among his educational credentials on his facebook account, where Harrington was a junior at the time of her disappearance.  It is not known if the two were acquainted.

Horn is being held in the Albemarle Regional jail pending his bond hearing today.

Check back to www.blinkoncrime.com for updates.

Girl In The Hayfield

Morgan Dana Harrington was the ingenue of artist and adjunct professor at Virginia Tech, Jane Lillian Vance.

She was scheduled to travel with her to Nepal in the Spring of 2010 while continuing to pursue her Education degree in her third year as a Hokie.

Morgan would not make that trip, and Vance would complete her latest work in her former students honor, last week.

With her Mother Gil’s help, albeit posthumously, Morgan is indeed educating children; the underprivileged children of Zambia.   In April, 2010,  Gil Harrington carried some of her beloved daughter’s ashes during the Orphan Medical Network International (OMNI) pilgrimage to Zambia.   After raising donations for the Morgan Harrington Educational Wing, Morgan’s ashes were mixed with the concrete foundation of the school bearing her name.

At 5’6” ,  with breck-girl locks and eyes like briolette  faceted tourmaline’s,  Morgan was a stunning beauty.

Behind her neon smile was the burgeoning sophistication of a girl beyond her years and peers.

This gilded lily stood out.

On the grounds of the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia while attending a Metallica concert with her friends, unfortunately, she also caught the eye of a dangerous predator.    The cost of admission to the events that followed, would be her life.

Devoid of her ticket to return inside the presumed safety of the venue and old friends,  Morgan scored the unwilling and unalterable ticket to the cross-hairs of a Medium Build, 6’ African American sexual sadist who has likely spent the last four years honing his skills.

“Sketch” was interrupted by a passerby during a vicious beating and sexual assault in Fairfax on September 24, 2005.  His DNA is linked to both victims.

Lights, Cameras, 400 Blue Phones

According to JPJ and UVA security guidelines, all hired security must be law enforcement.

In addition to the regularly scheduled patrol assignments of UVA PD, events such as the Metallica concert required additional security posts which were hired via a security request when the date was booked.  Although additional UVA officers were working the night of October 17, there has never been a statement regarding any observations  from that evening on their behalf by Melissa Fielding, Investigative Lieutenant.

However, in a private meeting that included UVA PD staff, shortly after Morgan’s disappearance, an attendee speaking to www.blinkoncrime.com on the condition of anonymity, told me he heard Fielding tell someone openly that Harrington’s car never left Harrisonburg, or JMU, and that it was a different friends car that was driven to the arena and hers had been accounted for.

In response to another UVA PD staffer loudly offering  that he heard that Morgan was behaving “obnoxiously” during the trip to JPJ, which resulted in a tiff between the friends and the reason she ultimately left the concert, Fielding snapped “That was still no reason to leave her.”

When pressed as to why she thought they still believed Morgan’s car was not a factor when Lt Rader of the Virginia State Police (VSP) and Dr. Harrington, Morgan’s Father, both confirmed her car was the vehicle the foursome traveled in,  she repeated that information was incorrect with no further explanation.  While VSP was leading the investigation at this point, it certainly still begs the question as to why the original agency tasked with her disappearance, and still assisting, would have such important misinformation circulating in an active investigation and ongoing search.

According to the Office of the Executive Vice President of UVA,  UVAPD security personnel are also responsible for surveillance on grounds.  The central monitoring  area, which is linked to the security cameras in several lots and public areas, is located in the central parking garage.  There is no information available on the storage medium of recorded footage from the cameras, and requests for information were deferred to VSP.

The University of Virginia uses technology to improve security on Grounds. University Police install video cameras in several parking lots and public areas. Additional cameras may be installed in the future. Security cameras will be connected to a central control room operated by the Police Department in the new Central Grounds Parking Garage. The purpose for using the cameras is to reduce incidents of crime while limiting the need to expand the Police Department.

VSP is not discussing the specificity of what they have or do not have regarding footage supplied by JPJ/UVA.

With the exception of course that out of everything that has “been supplied to them”, there are no images of Morgan whatsoever.

Stationed inside the arena,  is UVA PD security, non-police event security run by RMC Events,  security staff employed directly by Metallica, UVA facilities management personnel, and contracted vendors to both JPJ and UVA.   Firemarshall, zoning, and University guidelines also require EMT attendance. (more…)

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE

Morgan Harrington disappeared from John Paul Jones arena two years ago Monday October 17, 2011.

Morgan was found murdered in a remote section of  a 700 acre farm in North Garden, VA, where she went undetected previously for three months.

Blink, Editor In Chief, www.blinkoncrime.com discusses the  SAVE THE NEXT GIRL campaign developed and launched by her parents, Dr. Dan Harrington and Gil Harrington along with other scheduled advocacy events in observation of the two year anniversary of her disappearance and murder; which remains unsolved.

A Preview:  Morgan Harrington Murder: Two Women,  Two Locations,  Two Years- Too Long.  (Publishing tomorrow)

As you have come to expect, Blink and team take a closer look into the investigation of Morgan’s murder.

Blink analyzes the ties to the unsolved Fairfax rape and assault, the participation of  the Law Enforcement agencies involved,  concerns about some of the UVA contractor and employee access  and asks the question nobody wants to:

Was the Enemy From Within?

Clint Van Zandt,  NBC analyst and former FBI profiler discusses the release of Amanda Knox and murder of Meredith Kercher from his former on scene perspective.  Clint was inside the house in Perugia, and shares his experience with out host, Dana Pretzer.

Previous coverage:

http://blinkoncrime.com/2010/10/14/inspiring-vigilance-the-murder-of-morgan-harrington-one-year-later/

http://blinkoncrime.com/2011/10/03/amanda-knox-free-from-perugia-prison-by-appeal-verdict/

Charlottesville, VA-  Sallie Hamilton, the original owner of the Hamilton House on Chancellor Ave., was ahead of her time when she chose Charlottesville to build her boarding house.

Recently divorced and the mother of two young sons, she was one of five single women from 1900 to 1910 to build and operate boarding houses to accommodate students of the University of Virginia as a means of income and support for her family.

The Chancellor Street address abutted the newly established and exclusive Fraternity Row on Madison Lane and was directly across from the central grounds. The Delta Zeta Sorority purchased it in 1979.

In the early morning hours of September 17^th, 2010, it was also the scene of the latest rape of a UVA student and DZ sorority sister.

September 17^th, 2010 also happens to have been the first full day of a 10 day memorial to Yeardley Love, the lacrosse player who was brutally murdered in May.

The columns of the Rotunda were draped in black just hours before the vicious rape and assault in the backyard of the sorority house, an assault that the young woman has very little memory of.

Coincidentally, Yeardley Love was a sister at Kappa Alpha Theta, whose sorority, Saunders House,  resides at 127 Chancellor Street.

A “stones throw away” you might say.

(more…)

Disclaimer– exclusive original content copyright and property of Internet Network News, LLC and Blinkoncrime.com. Reproduction of this article , ANY OF IT’S Conclusions, comments or CONTENT, in whole or in part, without proper attribution and source link is strictly prohibited without prior written permission.

Charlottesville, VA– According to sources inside the murder investigation of 20 year old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington, there has been a new development in her case.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity to blinkoncime.com, sources inside the investigation have confirmed Virginia State Police are preparing to announce a possible connection between Harrington’s murder, and the homicide of Vanessa Pham in Fairfax, VA.

However, late this morning, although blink editors attempted to confirm the reports in advance, Corrine Geller, PR Manager for VSP released a statement regarding a forensic connection to an unsolved case in 2005.

Therefore, blinkoncrime cannot confirm source reports Morgan’s case is connected to the recent homicide of Vanessa Pham, A Georgia Fashion Design student found stabbed in her upper torso after police initially believed she was the victim of a single vehicle car accident.

Pham was enroute to visit friends on Sunday afternoon at approximately 2:30PM ; by 3:30PM she was dead in a ditch.

Vanessa’s whiteScion had been traveling the wrong way down an access road, hopped the curb and ended up in a ravine. Although police had no indication she was not driving the vehicle, it was later discovered that she was deceased prior to the crash.

Anyone with information concerning the death of Vanessa Pham is asked to contact Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-8477.

Blinkoncrime.com editor Madeline Tanner contributed to this report

Disclaimer– exclusive original content copyright and property of Internet Network News, LLC and Blinkoncrime.com. Reproduction of this article , ANY OF IT’S Conclusions, comments or CONTENT, in whole or in part, without proper attribution and source link is strictly prohibited without prior written permission.

Charlottesville, VA– In a new development in the murder investigation of Morgan Dana Harrington, blinkoncrime.com has learned that Anchorage Farm was very much a frequent party spot for local musicians.

In fact, there was a 7 Mile Sleepover exactly one week after Morgan’s disappearance from the JPJ arena that included an invitation list of over 130 guests.

Jenny Bass, the adult daughter of David and Nancy Bass, is an accomplished pianist, musician, horticulturist and artist in the Charlottesville community.

The Seven Mile Sleepover appears to have been posted prior to Morgan’s disappearance, approximately October 14, 2009.

While it is unconfirmed how many guests actually attended the event, it is clear there could have been over 100 people within a few hundred yards of Morgan’s final resting place a week after she went missing, and presumably, her death.

As Anchorage Farm is a verified crime scene in an active murder investigation, one wonders if anyone found anything they may not have realized of importance at the time.

According to her facebook, Ms. Bass was clearly disturbed by her discovery as well:

Jason Mateos and Elizabeth Morton, contributing editors to this report