Fredericksburg police say they changed department policy after reviewing officers’ response to a civilian group that confronted a man suspected of attempting to sexually exploit a minor.
The Fredericksburg Police Department released new details about the Nov. 4, 2025, incident after video footage of the police response began circulating online. The department said the video does not show the entire encounter.
According to police, officers were initially dispatched to a reported disturbance involving members of a civilian group that confronts and reports people it suspects of child-related sexual offenses.
When officers arrived, one officer spoke with the person who reported the incident and an associate. While the officer gathered their statements, police said Christopher Whiddon, 27, of Fredericksburg, was asked to step aside as the initial investigation continued.
Whiddon briefly moved outside the camera’s view, according to the department, but police said officers maintained visual contact with him.
A second officer later spoke with Whiddon. Police arrested him and charged him with use of a communication system to facilitate certain offenses involving children under Virginia Code § 18.2-374.3.
Whiddon was taken to the Rappahannock Regional Jail and held on a $2,500 bond. The charge is an allegation, and the department’s account does not establish guilt.
The case is expected to go before a grand jury in September 2026.
The incident also prompted a change inside the Fredericksburg Police Department.
Police said that when officers responded on Nov. 4, there was no standing department policy requiring a detective to respond to this type of encounter. The department reviewed the incident that month and changed its policy on Dec. 2, 2025.
Under the revised policy, an on-call detective is now required to respond to similar incidents.
The change is significant because civilian groups conducting their own investigations and confrontations can leave patrol officers dealing with evidence, witnesses and potential criminal charges in situations that have already developed before police arrive.
The department said it released the additional information in response to concerns raised by the circulating video and to provide more context about what happened outside the camera’s view.