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Virginia Mayor Arrested in Meth-for-Sex Sting Resigns

A three-term northern Virginia mayor will resign after being arrested on drug charges, reports CBS affiliate WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C.

A three-term northern Virginia mayor will resign after being arrested on drug charges, reports CBS affiliate WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C.

 

City of Fairfax Mayor R. Scott Silverthorne allegedly tried to trade two grams of methamphetamine for sex acts in what turned out to be an undercover sting operation, police said last week.

 

Silverthorne plans to resign Thursday, WUSA reports. His attorneys say he is not a drug dealer.

 

The mayor was arrested Thursday night after meeting at a Tysons Corner hotel just outside the Capital Beltway with undercover detectives he approached through a website used to arrange casual sexual encounters between men, Fairfax County police said at a press conference.

 

Police Capt. Jack Hardin said they received a tip that Silverthorne had been arranging drugs-for-sex encounters. Police then set up an online profile on the website, and within two days Silverthorne made contact online with the detective who set up the profile, Hardin said.

 

"We had information on what the mayor was looking for, what types of activities" he wanted to engage in, Hardin said.

 

Silverthorne, who also worked as a substitute teacher in Fairfax County Public Schools, was arrested and gave a full confession, police said. He was released on his own recognizance while he awaits a preliminary hearing Oct. 31 on a felony charge of drug distribution and a misdemeanor charge of possessing drug paraphernalia.

Caroline Cournoyer is GOVERNING's senior web editor.
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