Fairfax Student Convicted on 9 Assault Counts

An 18-year-old student at Fairfax High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, was convicted Thursday on nine misdemeanor counts of assault and battery after multiple female classmates accused him of groping them in school hallways. Israel Flores Ortiz, originally from El Salvador, faces up to six months in jail for each count, with sentencing scheduled for April 21.

The incidents, which prosecutors described as a pattern of intentional behavior spanning several months, involved Ortiz approaching girls from behind and touching their private areas, according to testimony from more than a dozen victims during an all-day hearing in Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. Surveillance video played in court showed some of the encounters, while Ortiz's attorney argued that crowded hallways could have led to accidental contact. The judge acquitted him on three counts and dismissed one, reducing the original 13 charges.

Fairfax High School first reported the assaults to local police on March 5. An arrest warrant was issued, and Ortiz turned himself in on March 7. Additional victims came forward after his arrest, leading to further charges. School officials notified...