A Chantilly Highlands man is facing as much as 30 years in prison after being arrested Tuesday and charged with producing child pornography. He is Ralph Shipler, 61, of 3215 Ravenscraig Court in Oak Hill.
Until recently, he coached the Herndon Force, a travel soccer team for girls 13 and under. Police believe that he secretly photographed some of those girls at his home — as well as children in Pennsylvania — while they were naked and in various stages of undress.
Not only did authorities obtain evidence of Shipler's alleged crimes from his home and vehicle but, say police, "Detectives expect to add 28 additional charges of production of child pornography" to the three with which they've already charged him.
FAIRFAX COUNTY POLICE — in conjunction with the FBI — executed a search warrant at Shipler's home, last Thursday, Sept. 25, and obtained warrants for his arrest on Monday. At the time, though, they'd last seen him driving away in a 1995 Mazda Protege and police didn't know his exact whereabouts.
But by Tuesday morning, he was in custody. "He turned himself in here, at police headquarters [in Fairfax], with his lawyer, around 10 a.m.," said police spokesman Jeff Gossett. However, instead of being placed in the Adult Detention Center, police revealed later that day that Shipler was taken to a Fairfax area hospital for "treatment of injuries he had before he came into police custody."
Police spokeswoman Jacqui Smith declined to elaborate on the injuries or how Shipler had sustained them. Police are also not disclosing which hospital he's in. However, said Smith, "He's under police guard. Shortly after he's released from the hospital, he'll be taken to jail and arraigned."
Det. Lewis Barrickman detailed the case against Shipler, who's married and has a daughter, in an affidavit for a warrant to search the Oak Hill man's home for possible evidence. He obtained his information from FBI Special Agent Marc Dinardo.
BARRICKMAN WROTE that, on Sept. 7, the South Beaver Township Police Department in Pennsylvania received a complained about a disorderly individual at the White Thorn Lodge — which was hosting a nudist camp at the time. The complaint alleged that someone was videotaping children from a van parked nearby.
A local police officer responded and contacted the van's occupant, later reportedly identified as Shipler. "After initially denying that he had a video camera, Shipler produced a camera and several videotapes," wrote Barrickman. "A review of those tapes revealed images of nude children."
According to the detective, several segments of the video appeared to show a residential bathroom. "The footage indicates the camera operator is in an area behind a wall of the bathroom and is filming through a portion of the bathroom mirror where the painted backing has been scratched away," he wrote. "Several minor females are seen at various times using the bathroom to change clothes and change into bathing suits."
Furthermore, wrote Barrickman, "Some of the females are wearing clothing indicating an affiliation to youth soccer in Northern Virginia. Frequently, the camera focuses on the breast and genital area of the girls."
After finding out Shipler's address in Chantilly Highlands, Barrickman, police Sgt. Darold Boone and FBI special agents Dinardo and Bridget Thomas contacted him, Sept. 25, at his home and also spoke with his attorney. Shipler then allowed the officers to examine his residence.
Barrickman noted that the house has a downstairs bathroom next to the garage and that it was the same bathroom as the one seen in the videotapes seized by the police in Pennsylvania. "The wallpaper, towel bar, toilet-paper holder and toilet were identical to those [photographed] in the video," he wrote.
Explaining that the video showed a large hole in the drywall of the side of the garage adjacent to the bathroom, Barrickman wrote that it also revealed a smaller hole in the drywall forming the bathroom wall behind the mirror.
HOWEVER, HE ADDED, "It was evident that some repairs had been made. The drywall on the garage side had been replaced. The hole behind the mirror had been filled with spackling, but was still evident. The area where the paint backing of the mirror had been scratched away was still visible."
The detective also observed several pictures of girls' soccer teams, including the Herndon Force, inside the house, as well as a Herndon Force roster. Wrote Barrickman: "[Shipler] stated that he resigned as a coach after the incident in Pennsylvania."
Fairfax detectives obtained criminal warrants for Shipler, Monday afternoon, and arrested him on Tuesday. However, his court date cannot be set until after he's formally arraigned.