In March 2004, a 34-year-old Chantilly man raped a 14-year-old Chantilly girl in his home. More than a year-and-a-half has gone by since then but, finally, justice is being served.
After being arrested, released on bond, disappearing for 10 months and being recaptured, Stacey O. Tibbs appeared Tuesday in Circuit Court and pleaded guilty to rape. He's slated for sentencing in January and could receive as much as life in prison.
At the time of the crime, he lived at 4131 Chantilly Lace Court in the Chantilly Mews community. And in a May 5, 2004 affidavit for a search warrant to obtain forensic evidence from Tibbs' person, Fairfax County police Det. G.W. Barlow of the Sex Crimes Unit detailed the case against him.
Barlow wrote that, on March 18, 2004, a 14-year-old girl told police she'd been sexually assaulted, and she underwent a Sexual Assault Nurse's Examination at the hospital.
The girl said she was familiar with Tibbs because she'd babysat his children and, several times, had been a guest in his home. According to the affidavit, she and some friends were in his house, March 18, around 7:30 p.m.
"While in the home, the [girl] was offered marijuana by several of the occupants," wrote Barlow. "As the night progressed, [she] ingested marijuana and became impaired, to the degree that she did not want to return home." He wrote that she fell asleep on the floor, but awoke around 3:30 a.m. on March 19 to discover a man having sexual intercourse with her.
WROTE THE detective: "[She] identified her assailant as Stacey Tibbs." He further noted that she "did not consent to sexual relations [with Tibbs]" on that night or ever. Barlow added that, at the time of the incident, Tibbs was the only male present in the home.
Following an investigation, police arrested Tibbs May 4, charging him with rape. He was then released from the Adult Detention Center, four days later, on $3,500 bond.
He was supposed to be in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court on Oct. 1, 2004. But when he didn't show up, the judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest, charging him with failure to appear.
Nearly 10 months passed with no sign of Tibbs, but police were able to nab him again on July 25 of this year. This time, though, they held him in jail without bond.
On Sept. 27 in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, the failure-to-appear charge was dropped and the rape charge was sent to the grand jury. On Oct. 13, the grand jury indicted him, and on Tuesday, Nov. 1, he pleaded guilty as charged before Circuit Court Judge Jonathan Thacher.
Before accepting his plea, Judge Thacher made sure that Tibbs was pleading guilty, freely and voluntarily, and because he was, in fact, guilty. He then set Tibbs' sentencing for Jan. 19.