x
Breaking News
More () »

40-year-old Texas man posing as teen accused of raping underage Frederick County girl

Authorities in Frederick County are asking other potential victims to come forward.
Credit: WUSA9

FREDERICK COUNTY, Md. — A 40-year-old man is in custody in Kansas on charges of three counts of rape stemming from 2021 case in Frederick County, Maryland.

Todd Wivell, spokesperson for the Frederick County Sheriff's Office said Leif Derek Truitt of Austin, Texas, was arrested on February 7 for the crime. Now, authorities in Frederick County are looking for other potential victims.

Last year, Frederick County Sheriff's Office detectives received a sexual assault complaint from an underage girl in the county. Through the course of the investigation, detectives learned that Truitt, who posed as a teenager, allegedly met with the girl several times for sex. 

With the help of the Department of Homeland Security, agencies in Kansas and Texas, and the Frederick County Sheriff's Office, officers detained Truitt without incident. For Frederick County, his charges include three counts of second-degree rape, Wivell said. 

Investigators say that even though Truitt is in custody, the case is not closed.

“We want to alert our public to this incident in the event there are other victims,” said Lt. Andy Crone, FCSO Criminal Investigations Section commander. “Our case is still an open investigation and we encourage anyone who feels there were victimized to come forward.”

Court records show Truitt will be in Kansas court on February 17. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has also charged Truitt federally for production of child pornography and for traveling interstate to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Truitt is expected to have an initial appearance on the federal charges in the coming weeks.

The sheriff's office asks anyone who may have information about this case, or who believes they were a victim, to contact FCSO Detective Rowe at 301-748-7898 or by email at jrowe@frederickcountymd.gov.

RELATED: Life sentence given to serial rapist pleading guilty to 1991 Metro attacks

RELATED: Former DC Police lieutenant charged with unlawful sex with a minor

WUSA9 is now on Roku and Amazon Fire TVs. Download the apps today for live newscasts and video on demand.

Download the WUSA9 app to get breaking news, weather and important stories at your fingertips.

Sign up for the Get Up DC newsletter: Your forecast. Your commute. Your news.
Sign up for the Capitol Breach email newsletter, delivering the latest breaking news and a roundup of the investigation into the Capitol Riots on January 6, 2021.

Before You Leave, Check This Out