The late Detective Edward Abbott of the Manassas, Virginia police department shot himself in his home when other detectives arrived to arrest him for sex crimes against children. Abbot was also a youth hockey coach and once made the news for his desire to photograph a minor child's erect penis (archived) while investigating a "sexting" case. A search warrant to have that child taken to the hospital for injection with an erection inducing drug followed by photography was approved by a judge in that case. Abbott sued the child's lawyer for defamation when the lawyer relayed information to the public like (archived):

Detective Abbott told her that after obtaining photos of the teen’s erect penis he would ‘use special software to compare pictures of this penis to this penis. Who does this? It’s just crazy.'

In the cases which lead to Abbott's choice to become "an hero" (archived) rather than face arrest Abbott was accused of carrying on a relationship of no less than two years with a now 13 year old boy as well as having a relationship with a second minor child associated with the youth hockey league he coached in. Though details are scarce it is likely given the timing that Abbott was in a relationship with one or both of these boys when a judge signed off on a warrant which would allow him to legally indulge in photographing a minor child's pharmaceutically induced erection.

In his career as a police detective Abbott worked as a member was assigned to the Northern Virginia-Washington, DC Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. It likely will be impossible to know with certainty whether he sought out this assignment for an opportunity to indulge in child pornography because he was a pedophile or if exposure to child pornography on the job shaped him into a pedophile. In any case it would be prudent for parents reading this to avoid leaving their children unsupervised around officers working in such assignments. If your child must be interviewed by such an officer in the event they have become the victim of this sort of heinous crime, if they want to talk to your child alone make sure there is at least an officer from the traffic desk or organized crime unit there to supervise the officer who chose this line of work out of an abundance of justified caution.

The full statement from the Manassas, Virgina police department thanking the late Detective Abbott for his service in spite of his alleged predatory pedophillic actions is reproduced below and available at this link (archived).

**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

Dec. 15, 2015

MCPD Grieves for Loss, Victims, and their Families

Manassas City Police Department is mourning the loss of one of our officers, who took his own life at his home in Prince William County early today. On Dec. 14, 2015, Manassas City Police was notified by Prince William County Police that an allegation of criminal misconduct was made against a Manassas City Police Officer. The Officer was identified as Det. D. E. Abbott, Jr., who was assigned to the Northern Virginia-Washington, DC (NOVA-DC ICAC) Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

While Manassas City Police fully cooperated and assisted Prince William County Police with its investigation into the allegations, Manassas City Police played no direct role in interviewing Det. Abbott about the charges prior to his taking his own life on the morning of Dec. 15, 2015. Through their investigation, Prince William County Police obtained felony warrants for Indecent Liberties with a Minor (X2) and Use of a Communications Device to Solicit a Minor (X2) against Det. Abbott. Prince William County Police is still heavily involved in investigating the allegations to ensure justice and that victim assistance is made available for any potential victims and their families.

This is a tragic and sad day for the Abbott family, the juvenile victims and their families, the Manassas City Police Department, and our community. In spite of these recent developments regarding the serious allegations against him, we are grateful for the contributions Det. Abbott made during his time with Manassas City Police, to include the prosecution and conviction of hundreds of criminals. His family and peers request privacy during this time as we grieve and struggle to accept the realities of such a loss.

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Adrienne E. Helms

Crime Prevention Specialist &

Public Information Officer

Manassas City Police Department

9518 Fairview Ave

Manassas, VA 20110

ahelms@manassasva.gov

(703) 257-8064 Direct

(703) 257-5892 Fax