https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE Expo
    • Calendar of Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Administration


Article

Virginia mayor arrested in connection with meth-for-sex sting

Virginia mayor arrested in connection with meth-for-sex sting

The mayor of Fairfax, Va., a Washington suburb, was arrested Friday after county police say he tried to trade methamphetamine for sex with an undercover police officer.
  • Written by Jason Axelrod
  • 5th August 2016

The mayor of Fairfax, Va., a Washington suburb, was arrested Friday after county police say he tried to trade methamphetamine for sex with an undercover police officer.

Richard 'Scott' Silverthorne, 50, was charged with felony distribution of methamphetamine and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia on Aug. 4, NBC News reports. The Fairfax County Police Department says Silverthorne tried to offer meth in return for sexual favors and was apprehended in the parking lot of a Crowne Plaza Hotel.

In late July, the department was notified about a person distributing meth through a website known to arrange casual sex between men, NBC News reports. An undercover officer created a fake profile on the website, tailoring it for characteristics that officers believed Silverthorne was seeking.

“We were provided with information from a citizen that the mayor was involved with a web site,”  Captain Jack Hardin, commander of the Fairfax County organized crime unit, told The Washington Post. “It was alleged he was exchanging meth for sex.” 

Silverthorne and the undercover officer began communicating via text messaging, and Silverthorne said he could provide meth in exchange for sex, according to local radio station WTOP. Silverthorne agreed to meet with undercover detectives at the hotel for a group sexual encounter. He was summarily arrested when he gave meth to an undercover officer.

"He did not resist," Hardin said at a news conference. "He provided a full confession on everything he did that night." 

Two men — Caustin Lee McLaughlin, 21 and Juan Jose Fernandez, 34, both of Maryland — were later identified as Silverthorne's suppliers and were also arrested in connection with the situation, according to NBC News. All three were taken to the Fairfax County Jail, and were later redirected to the Fairfax County Sheriff's Office.

SIlverthorne had been elected in May to serve his third term as mayor of 24,000-resident Fairfax, according to the Associated Press. He is also a substitute teacher at Fairfax County Public Schools. He has been terminated from his teaching post, and the city announced on Aug. 5 that Councilman Jeffrey Greenfield was appointed as acting mayor.

_____________

To get connected and stay up-to-date with similar content from American City & County:
Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter
Watch us on YouTube

 

Tags: Administration News Public Safety Article

Most Recent


  • EPA makes available $4.6B for cities, counties and Tribes to reduce climate pollution
    To combat rising climate pollution levels, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Wednesday $4.6 billion in competitive grants available to cities, counties, territories and Tribal governments. The grants, which are a part of the EPA’s $5 billion Climate Pollution Grants program, are funded through the Inflation Reduction Act. They’re intended to spark community-driven environmental solutions, […]
  • materials
    Public buyers have several options to keep problem materials out of the waste stream
    Cities and counties are taking multiple steps towards sustainability, says Curran Hughes, co-founder and president of Renegade Plastics, a fabric product manufacturer that offers an alternative to PVC (polyvinyl chloride)-coated fabrics. Its low carbon coated fabrics curtail plastic waste and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the company. “Local governments are doing a nice job […]
  • Data modeling tool can project energy, efficiency savings for residential, commercial buildings
    Projecting the impact of a building’s transition to clean energy is a complicated process that involves complex data—one that might be difficult to translate for an audience of constituents at an annual town meeting or public forum. A new data set published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) could help administrators better quantify the […]
  • environmental
    Seasons change: Addressing environmental issues takes many forms
    With extreme temperatures, increasing natural disasters and seasonal changes that are no longer predictable, environmental concerns are growing across the world. As a result, government and educational institutions, through their political bodies and leadership, are now mandating and prioritizing sustainability for their communities. The measures being taken, and goals being met, take many forms to […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Lessons from your friendly neighborhood public service employees
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • How local governments can get ahead of the infrastructure wave: Strategies to mitigate risk
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery

White papers


7 Resources to Level-up Your Federal Grants Administration and Compliance

5th September 2023

Elevator Phone Line Replacement Strategy | A Guide to Reliable, Code-Compliant Solutions

29th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing Report: The Bright Future of Public Procurement

23rd August 2023
view all

Webinars


Grant Preparedness: Unlocking Funding Opportunities for Your Success

10th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing: Taking Local Governments into a Bright Future

1st August 2023

Stop Playing with Fire: How to Manage Infrastructure Asset Risk So You Know You’re Covered

20th June 2023
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


Gallery: Hottest temperatures recorded in American cities during July

12th September 2023

The top 10 Asthma Capitals for 2023

7th September 2023

U.S. cities with the cleanest air from latest “State of the Air” report

5th September 2023
view all

Twitter


Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.