Contractor accused of climbing through window and raping girl in Virginia Beach

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – A contractor remodeling a bathroom in a family’s Virginia Beach home is accused of breaking into the house in the middle of the night and raping an 11-year-old girl on three separate occasions.

A search warrant outlines how the parents heard noises coming from their 11-year-old daughter’s bedroom around 2:30 a.m. on October 9, 2024.

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It says the door was locked and they had a butter knife to force the door open. They then saw a naked man climbing out the window, the warrant says.

The child told them it was the man hired to remodel their bathroom, according to court records. The child was taken to hospital.

Police launched an investigation and were able to locate the suspect at his home in Norfolk. They got search warrants for his house and his car.

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The contractor, 35-year-old Ricardo Mejia, was arrested.

He was charged with three counts of rape of a child and home invasion.

He is accused of climbing through the window three times, according to court records.

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We spoke with the suspect’s attorney, Eric Korslund.

“Once he was arrested, he was very cooperative with police and provided a full statement,” Korsland said. “We are still at a very early stage. We have not received any discovery in the case.”

He said more should come out at the preliminary hearing, scheduled for Dec. 18.

Mejia is being held without bond at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center.