A custodian at a local elementary school has been arrested and charged with aggravated sexual battery after being accused of inappropriately touching an 11-year-old girl.
Darrell Beckham was a custodian at Randolph Elementary School, located on Quincy Street south of Columbia Pike.
Arlington County Police reported that, in the late afternoon of Monday, April 23, Beckham opened the school doors for the girl, who was not a Randolph student but was changing buses at the school.
According to Arlington police Beckham assaulted the girl when she attempted to phone her mother. The girl then ran home and told a parent about the incident.
Beckham is currently being held without bond at the Arlington County Detention Facility. Judge Esther Lyles presided over Beckham's arraignment and denied his request to be released on bond. Lyles refused to comment on her bond denial for this story.
Detective Dan Borrelli of the Arlington County Police Department is working the case.
He said that Beckham was arrested immediately after the incident occurred because "There was enough to substantiate arresting him for what he did. There was certainly probable cause."
Frank Bellavia, an Arlington Public Schools spokesperson, said that, like all other school employees, Beckham had been fingerprinted for a background check prior to obtaining the custodian position.
He said he couldn’t comment on whether any red flags were on Beckham’s background check but said, "I would assume that there weren’t. Otherwise he wouldn’t be employed."
On Tuesday morning, Bellavia issued a letter to Randolph parents informing them of the situation.
"Please be assured that student safety is our number one priority and, as is always the case, school officials are cooperating fully with the police," the letter read. "I encourage you to talk with your students and remind them to always report any concerns that they might have so we can work together to ensure their continued safety."
Beckham’s arrest was shocking to many Randolph parents who had come to trust him and consider him an acquaintance.
"I was totally shocked," Heather McPhail, parent of a student at Randolph and the school’s PTA president, said. "That’s not the Darrell Beckham that I know."
McPhail said that she has gotten to know Beckham over the years while volunteering at the school after hours. She said that it was simply inconceivable to her that Beckham is guilty of what he is being accused of.
"I’ve never felt unsafe around him," she said. "I’ve never had any fears about him at all and I’m a pretty astute person. … It doesn’t seem right."
Rebecca Krafft is also a Randolph parent and has actively participated in the school’s activities for many years. She has gotten to know Beckham from her volunteering time and she is as dumbfounded as McPhail over the charges.
"I couldn’t have been more shocked to see that charge next to his name," Krafft said. "He’s bright, he’s kind and he’s dependable… I just couldn’t see him jeopardizing his family and his livelihood in that way."