Today, the Virginia State Police (VSP) announced the conviction of a 51-year-old Northern Virginia man, Alvin T. Daniels, for “maliciously and intentionally” providing false information during the 2009 search for Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington.
In November 2009, Daniels called in anonymously to the VSP tip line to identify a 34-year-old Prince William County man as a suspect. Further investigation by FBI and state police tound that the Prince William man was instead a “victim of an act of vengeance on the part of Daniels.” Daniels was sentenced to six months suspended jail time on the condition of good behavior, and must reimburse the VSP for time wasted on investigation efforts.
In January, Harrington’s body was found on Anchorage Farm; the homicide investigation into her death is on-going. Lieutenant Joe Rader of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation’s Appomattox Division encourages the public to call into the VSP tip line and Crime Stoppers, but warns the public of penalties for “purposefully misleading investigators with a tip.”