CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLERIGHTNOW) – A coordinated effort by the Charlottesville Police Department (CPD) led to the apprehension of a 41-year-old Albemarle County man, who is a registered sex offender and identified gang member, after he removed his ankle monitor. The incident occurred on September 6, 2024, and ended with the suspect in custody within minutes.

At approximately 10:18 a.m., District 9 Probation officers alerted CPD detectives that Joshua Pritchett, who was under supervised probation, had tampered with and discarded his monitoring device. Detectives, with the aid of probation officers, used Pritchett’s last known location data to pinpoint his whereabouts.

By 10:30 a.m., law enforcement officials had detained Pritchett near the location where he had last been tracked. Authorities also recovered Pritchett’s damaged ankle monitor close to the site of his arrest.

Joshua Pritchett is now held at the Albemarle/Charlottesville Regional Jail. Despite the charges and his background, he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The CPD credited the quick arrest to the prompt and precise communication between District 9 Probation and their detectives, highlighting the effectiveness of their joint operations in managing high-risk individuals under supervision.