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Police: Suspicious person in Virginia Beach neighborhood arrested, but social media claims are false

Posted at 2:26 PM, Aug 27, 2015
and last updated 2015-08-28 20:14:10-04
James Painton

James Painton

Virginia Beach, Va. - Virginia Beach Police have arrested James J. Painton, 59, of the 1500 block of Bridle Creek Boulevard for simple assault.

Painton is the man accused in social media posts that circulated the Internet on Thursday. The posts describe an attack on a woman while handing out flyers in the Charlestowne Woods area.

Despite the arrest, police say the accounts making the rounds on social media are false and do not reflect what the complainant told investigating officers.

"Please be mindful of this as it is, and will, cause unwanted fear," police said in a release on Friday.

Painton is currently being held in the Virginia Beach Correctional Center without bond.

Tiffany Castillo told NewsChannel 3 that she was the one who was attacked earlier this week. Castillo claims that she was in the driveway when the man approached her with a flier. She says he became aggressive and started making sexual advances towards her. Then she says he gets physical and began grabbing her arm and tries to pull her away from the house. Her boyfriend was able to chase the man off of their property.