Sex offender charged after women's‑locker exposures
Richard Kenneth Cox, 58, appeared in Arlington, Virginia, circuit court Friday facing multiple felony counts — including possession of child pornography, indecent liberties with a child, indecent exposure and entering school property as a Tier III sex offender — tied to alleged incidents at the Washington‑Liberty High School pool and a Barcroft gym between October and December 2024. The allegations that Cox (who recently began identifying as female and used women’s facilities) exposed himself to women and children have prompted local bans from facilities and attracted political attention by Virginia Republicans during a heated statewide election cycle.
Legal
Politics
Crime
🔍 Key Facts
- Defendant: Richard Kenneth Cox, 58, appeared before Judge Daniel Tomas Lopez in Arlington circuit court.
- Charges: at least seven counts in the current docket — two counts possession of child pornography (second‑or‑greater), two counts indecent liberties with a child under 15, indecent exposure, contact with a child after conviction, and entering school property as a Tier III sex offender.
- Incidents/dates/locations: Alleged exposure at Washington‑Liberty High School pool on Oct. 21, 2024; further charges on Oct. 30, 2024; December 2024 incident at a Barcroft gym women's locker room where multiple children and an adult were allegedly exposed.
- Political fallout: Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares publicly blamed a driver’s‑license sex‑designation law supported by his opponent for creating permissive conditions cited in his criticism.
📍 Contextual Background
- On 2024-06-06 a woman filed a complaint alleging indecent exposure by Richard Cox in a Fairfax County, Virginia gym locker room; the complaint states Cox used a Virginia state ID marked 'female' to gain access.
- The Virginia Attorney General election contest between Jay Jones and incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares is scheduled for November 4, 2025.