Dumfries Man Charged With Attempted Rape in Nauck Incident

An officer on patrol heard a woman screaming late Monday night and was able to stop an assailant from raping her, according to the Arlington County Police Department.

Kenneth Staton, 34, of Dumfries, was arrested and charged with attempted rape. He is being held without bond.

Shortly before 11 p.m., an Arlington County officer walking the street in the Nauck community heard screams for help in the 3500 block of South 23rd Street, according to police.

The officer got in his car and drove to a nearby wooded area where the screams seemed to originate, police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said.

Using a flashlight, the officer found Staton on top of the woman with his pants down, Sternbeck said.

Staton met the woman at a nearby bus stop, Sternbeck said. He asked her for a cigarette, which she gave him, and the two began walking and talking. They ended up in the wooded area, where Staton threw her to the ground, assaulted her and attempted to rape her, Sternebck said.

The woman, who police have not identified, sustained a busted lip. She declined medical treatment.