Albemarle man convicted of sexually abusing 13-year-old granted parole in split vote

The Virginia Parole Board has granted parole to Oscar Robert Lemen, who was convicted of forcible sodomy and object sexual penetration of a 13-year-old in Albemarle County, according to the board's August 2026 decisions report.

The board's August report lists Lemen, 67, as granted geriatric parole, with the decision recorded and certified Aug. 31. Minutes say he was considered for discretionary parole and geriatric conditional release. His Albemarle Circuit Court judgment, dated Aug. 13, 2008, shows forcible sodomy with 15 years, five suspended, and object sexual penetration with 20 years, five suspended. The report estimates he has served 18 years, 8 months and 21 days.

A December 2009 memorandum opinion of the Court of Appeals of Virginia describes the case. Lemen was charged in October 2006 with 18 counts, all involving one victim, a 13-year-old girl who was a friend of his daughter. A first trial in March 2007 ended in a mistrial when the jury could not reach a verdict. Prosecutors then dropped 16 counts and retried him in 2008 on one count each of forcible sodomy and object sexual penetration. According to the opinion, the victim testified that the abuse occurred when she was 13 and that Lemen warned her not to tell anyone. The jury convicted him and set a 35-year sentence, and the appeals court affirmed. This publication does not name the victim.

Prior and repeat offenses: No other convictions appear in the board's August report.

The board's stated reasons: The board's listed reasons included a reduction in changeable risk factors, positive staff reports, no history of substance abuse, a stable release plan, excellent institutional adjustment, the board's conclusion that he has served enough time, institutional leadership roles, a low risk-assessment score, participation with the victim's family in a victim-offender dialogue program, infraction-free conduct since incarceration, a documented support network, the prosecuting attorney's support, rule adherence and stable family relationships.

This was one of two split decisions in August. According to the Aug. 27 minutes, Victim Services Coordinator Cindy Yadav read a statement on the victim's behalf; the minutes do not characterize its position. The vote was 3-2. Chair Shannon Dion voted to grant, saying the prosecuting attorney "strongly supports release." Board Member Valerie Boykin cited his service making thousands of masks during the pandemic for the Department of Juvenile Justice. Board Member Tyrone Nelson voted no, saying release "would diminish the seriousness of the crime," and Vice Chair Kecia Brothers Hayes voted no, saying he needs more treatment programming.

How the decision was made: At the Aug. 27 meeting, held in person and electronically at the board's offices on Atmore Drive in Richmond, each candidate addressed the board by video after a summary of victim input, and Chair Shannon Dion then called on each member to vote and state reasons, according to the approved minutes. The board approved those minutes on Sept. 10. The August report notes that the offenses it lists include all offenses for which a person has been serving time, whether or not they are parole-eligible.

Crime trends in Albemarle County: According to the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services report "Virginia Index Crime and Drug Arrest Trends 2016-2025," published in August 2026 using Virginia State Police crime repository data, Albemarle County recorded 83.7 violent index crimes per 100,000 residents in 2025, compared with 88.3 in 2016, down 5% over the decade. Its property crime rate was 1,177.6 per 100,000 in 2025, compared with 1,243.6 in 2016, down 5%. Statewide, DCJS reported 210.5 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2025, down 7% from 2024 and 14% from 2023; the median rate among Virginia's counties and independent cities was 172.9. DCJS notes that the repository receives rolling updates, so the rates may be revised.

Across August, the board decided 44 parole cases and granted 14, according to its monthly decisions report, a grant rate of about 32% for the month. It denied the other 30. Separately, it held 10 parole-violation hearings, revoking parole in three, continuing parole in six and discharging one person from supervision. For historical context, the Virginia State Crime Commission reported discretionary-parole grant rates of 11% in 2018, 8% in 2019, 12% in 2020 and 8% through September 2021, and Bolts magazine reported a rate of about 1.6% in 2023. All five current board members were appointed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger on March 4, 2026, and confirmed by the General Assembly in March.

Parole in Virginia is supervised release: the board sets conditions, and it can revoke parole and return a person to prison for violations, as it did in three revocation cases this August. The board's report does not give a release date or say where Lemen will live.

Albemarle County is a county in Central Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, an independent city.

Richmond is an independent city in the Richmond region.