18-Year-Old Charged in School Groping Incidents

An 18-year-old student at Fairfax High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, faces nine counts of assault and battery after being accused of groping at least a dozen female classmates in school hallways over several months. Israel Flores Ortiz, who entered the United States from El Salvador without authorization in 2024 and was subsequently released, was arrested on March 7, with the incidents reportedly occurring throughout the school year.

According to parents of the victims, Ortiz, who is enrolled as an 11th grader and turning 19 soon, approached girls from behind in crowded hallways and placed his hands between their legs, moving from the front to the back. "There's a group of about 12 individuals that have reported this assault," one mother told local reporters. "It was all perpetrated by a single individual who is a stranger to the girls. He just sneakily walked up behind them and put his hand in between their legs. It was not just a butt smack or a butt grab. It was a groping of a private area. It had been occurring for several months."

The allegations came to light after multiple victims came forward, prompting police involvement. Fairfax County Public Schools officials...