Youngkin seeks probe into Fairfax suspect’s release

(The Center Square) – Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said there is a “shocking and unforgivable pattern” of releasing repeat offenders in Fairfax County as he called for a formal investigation into how prosecutors handled the criminal history of a man now charged with attempting to abduct a toddler.

Youngkin asked Attorney General Jason Miyares to investigate why the suspect’s record did not keep him in custody before the July 18 incident at Fair Oaks Mall.

“This is the latest example of the repeated failures of the Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney to protect the citizens he was elected to serve,” Youngkin wrote on social media Thursday, referring to Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano.

Miyares responded that his office would review the case and report back to the public. “Fairfax families do not deserve to live in a climate of fear because one person refuses to do his job,” he wrote.

As previously reported by The Center Square, the suspect, Andres Caceres Jaldin, 26, was arrested on July 18 and charged with abduction of a minor and grand larceny-auto.

Police say he picked up a three-year-old girl who had wandered from a mall play area. Her mother intervened and got the child back. Jaldin was arrested later that day at a hotel in Chantilly. A stolen vehicle was recovered at the scene.

Court records show Jaldin had been released from custody three days earlier, after a felony case was dropped. He has been involved in more than 30 prior criminal cases in Fairfax County.

Descano’s office did not respond by the time of publication.