Bail revoked after new indictments
A Washington man’s bond was revoked in Rappahannock County Circuit Court last Friday after a judge reviewed seven new indictments on charges of solicitation of a minor by a grand jury and a “disturbing” criminal complaint against him.
“[It’s] not just messages, but sexual intercourse, too,” Judge Douglas L. Fleming Jr. said in court. “Consensual, but with a child nonetheless … bond is revoked.”
Anthony Pyle, 50, has been charged with 10 counts related to the solicitation of a minor over 15 years old via the internet — seven of which were added last Friday — consensual sex with a child over 15 and indecent acts with a child by a person with a custodial or supervisory role. He was arrested in November and released on a $5,000 bond in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
A female complainant reported to Child and Family Services that she had been raped as a juvenile by Pyle, according to a criminal complaint filed by Detective Chris Garcia of the Sheriff’s Office. Garcia wrote that upon further investigation, he uncovered a consensual sexual relationship between the victim and Pyle in 2018 when he was “around 43” and she was 15, ending when she was 16 years old.
During the time of the relationship, Pyle would pick the victim up from school and “take responsibility … and care for her” at his home, according to the complaint, which her parents allowed because they thought she was going to spend the night with Pyle’s daughter.
Inappropriate messages were also discovered between the victim and Pyle, which were shown to Fleming in court by the prosecution.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Art Goff asked Fleming to revoke Pyle’s bond, and said the new charges were not considered at an earlier preliminary hearing because the “commonwealth didn’t have the messages at the time.”
“The seriousness of these charges cannot be understated,” Goff said.
Joseph Pricone, Pyle’s attorney, argued that this is not “new conduct” or new charges that happened since he was released on bond, and that the new indictments relate to the same victim.
“It’s the exact same victim [as previous charges], just more messages,” Pricone said.
Fleming said he agreed with the decision of the lower court to set bond, but does “not agree now,” and said the “posture of the case has changed” with new indictments.
After Fleming’s ruling, Pyle was escorted to a bench filled with inmates from the RSW jail. He will appear back in court on July 17.