A Chantilly, Virginia, man was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for sexually assaulting a jogger in 1998.

Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced in a news release that Edward Pottmyer, 60, was determined as a suspect in the 27-year-old cold case after DNA evidence positively matched.

In 1998, Pottmyer assaulted a 48-year-old woman who was running on a bike path in the Fair Lakes area, implying he had a knife. He sexually assaulted her and then ran away.

Detectives in the investigation were able to match DNA evidence from the woman’s body to beer cans recovered from Pottmyer’s garage, Descano’s office said.

“This is the type of scenario that usually only exists in our nightmares, and certainly not in
Fairfax County,” Descano said.

He was arrested and charged in June 2024. He pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated sexual battery and one count of abduction in July of this year.

Pottmyer has ties to two other sex offense cases in 2000 and 2004.

In the 2000 case, Pottmyer broke into the home of a 66-year-old woman and sexually assaulted her as she slept. The victim woke up and fought the suspect, who police say fled after jumping from a second-story balcony.

In the 2004 case, Pottymer exposed himself to a 51-year-old woman while standing in the backyard of her home in Burke. The victim yelled and he ran away.

“After nearly 30 long years, the victim of this horrific act is finally receiving the closure she deserves,” Descano said.