Crofton Man Charged With Sexually Abusing Children

UPDATE 9:54 PM The Capital is reporting that Riva was a classroom aide at Crofton Meadows Elementary School.  Also, a review of electronic court records by Eye On Annapolis indicates that a case for domestic violence was filed against Riva on June 1, 2010 by Thomas James Harvan. It appears this may have been a protective order but it was denied because there was no statuatory basis for relief.

John Riva, 63, of 1746 Harewood Lane, Crofton has been arrested and charged with several counts of sexual abuse of two very young girls.  After a nearly 2 week investigation, Anne Arundel County Police arrested him in Towson earlier today without incident.  The victims  include  a 7-year-old female and an 8-year-old female, both from the Crofton area.

Police report follows:

SEXUAL CHILD ABUSE ARREST CROFTON

On May 28, 2010, at approximately 7:57 p.m., officers from the Western District responded to the 1700 block of Harewood Lane in Crofton for a report of a sexual child abuse.

Upon arrival, officers spoke with family members of the female juvenile victim and they advised that the child was sexually assaulted by an adult male suspect, who was known to the family. Detectives from the Criminal Investigations Division immediately conducted their investigation and were able to locate a second juvenile victim. The victims, a 7-year-old female and an 8-year-old female, were both from the Crofton area.

On June 3, 2010, an arrest warrant was issued for John Riva, 63, of 1746 Harewood Lane, Crofton, Maryland. He was subsequently charged with two counts each of the following offenses: Sexual Abuse of a Minor, 3rd Degree Sex Offense, 4th Degree Sex Offense, 2nd Degree Child Abuse, and 2nd Degree Assault. Riva was located on June11, 2010, in the Towson area and was arrested with out incident.