19 reported rapes in Henrico County this year

HENRICO, VA (WWBT) - The number of reported rapes in Henrico County so far is at 19. It's very close to last year's total.

While police say the latest numbers may seem disturbing, they break it down and show us what is happening in the county. The cases of reported rape in Henrico County this year all share one similarity: the attacker was not a stranger - it was someone the victim knew.

Henrico Police say they now have 19 cases filed between January and June. It's inching very close to the total from 2012, which was 21.

"Any situation like this, we're going to address, and we're going to take this type of investigation seriously," said Lt. Linda Toney with Henrico County Police.

But police say you have to break down the total to get a better idea of what's happening in Henrico. Of the 19 rapes, only 11 are considered active investigations right now. Six have been cleared by exception, because the victim wasn't cooperative, or it couldn't be prosecuted.

There's been one arrest and one case will be reclassified as an attempted rape.

So far, in each district, the reported rape numbers are: seven in Fairfield, four in Brookland and Varina, three in Three Chopt and one in Tuckahoe.

"Until the end of the year, we won't be able to determine which one of those are actually considered rapes and which are sexual assaults," says Lt. Toney.

Lieutenant Toney says no matter what, the important thing is to tell someone and file a police report.

Safe Harbor counselors say there is another option: go to a hospital and get evidence collected.

"If they are able to go ahead and collect that evidence, they've got it and they can decide if they want to go through with prosecution at that point or at a later date," said Angela Verdery from Safe Harbor. Hospitals will hold that evidence for up to a year.

Police say building a case can take weeks or months, but it's always worth reporting an attack.

Safe harbor does have a confidential 24-hour hotline. That number is 287-7877.