ARLINGTON COUNTY, Va. — A 42-year-old man is facing charges after police say he sexually assaulted a woman in a car in Arlington County in May.
According to the Arlington County Police Department, Julio Basurto has been charged with abduction and forcible sodomy and is currently being held at the county's detention center.
The victim reported the assault to police shortly after 6:30 a.m. on May 21. Investigators say the woman was leaving a nightclub in the 3100 block of Clarendon Boulevard when Basurto pulled up in a black car and she got inside. He later sexually assaulted the woman before she was able to get out of the vehicle, police said.
"Our investigation did not determine that they are known to one another prior to this. She had not requested a rideshare at the time of the incident. He was not operating as a rideshare driver," said Ashley Savage, who is the Public Information Officer for the Arlington County Police Department.
Savage told WUSA9 that detectives reviewed evidence, spoke with witnesses and arrested Basurto on June 22.
Basurto, who often went by Elder Julio, has served as part of the community advocacy group Juntos En Justicia. WUSA spoke with him earlier this year after a student overdosed in a bathroom at Wakefield High School.
He is also listed as a voting member of Arlington Public School's Advisory Committee on Transportation Choices, which advises the staff-level Joint Committee on Transportation Choices (JCTC) regarding strategies and plans of action that will develop and promote transportation choices for APS students, families and staff.
Arlington County Public Schools confirmed to WUSA9 that he was an employee Monday night. Calling him "an hourly employee that we use when we need something translated." They would not verify his current status with APS, and told WUSA9 it's a personnel issue.
One person who worked with him from time to time in his capacity as a translator described him as reliable. Another person who asked to remain anonymous called the accusations "concerning and sad."
On June 20, he tweeted a verse from the King James Version of the Bible saying, "Matthew 7:12 The Golden Rule "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That is the essence of everything that is taught..."
Basurto further added, "Stay clean in your actions and inactions."
"We have not identified any additional crimes related to the suspect, however this is an active investigation and as part of our thorough investigation we are reviewing any of our open cases. We are also asking for the public's assistance. If you had an inappropriate interaction with this individual, if you were out in Arlington and were approached by a vehicle we want to hear from you as part of our investigation," said Savage.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 703-228-4180 or ACPDTipline@arlingtonva.us. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).