‘He would force me’: Day one of trial against former Powhatan business owner accused of 18 child sex crimes

Editor's Note: This article contains descriptions of children being sexually assaulted. Viewer discretion is advised.

Additionally, due to the ages of the alleged victims in this case, 8News has decided to forego publishing their full names and instead will refer to them with their first and last name initials.

POWHATAN COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The first day of a two-day trial against the former owner of Fast Feet Sports Academy in Powhatan County is complete. Joseph Parker is facing 18 counts of child sex crimes after six girls between the ages of nine and 12 accused him of inappropriately touching them.

During day one of the trial on Tuesday, March 24, a jury was selected, each side made opening statements and several witnesses took to the stand to testify.

Facts of the case

Parker is facing six counts of indecent acts with a child while in a custodial role and 12 counts of aggravated sexual battery with the victim being younger than 13 years old.

Court records state the alleged crimes happened on March 3, 2023 and Sept. 3, 2024. Parker was arrested on March 20, 2025 and has been in custody ever since.

Parker opened Fast Feet in 2017 as a before- and after-school sports program and summer program.

Six girls came forward and accused Parker of inappropriately touching them while they attended Fast Feet. Two of the girls will testify in the courtroom, while the other four will testify in a different room. Video and sound will be livestreamed into the courtroom using what's called Closed Court Television (CCTV). The Commonwealth's Attorney asked for this, as they said it would be too traumatic for the girls to face Parker.

The Commonwealth is being represented by Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney Timothy Dustan and Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Alice Sheridan. Parker's defense attorney is Edward Riley. Judge Joseph Teefey is overseeing the trial.

Twelve jurors and one alternate were selected on Monday, March 24. The jury is made up of two men and 11 women.

Opening statements from prosecutors, defense

Prosecutors began with their opening statements.

"You'll hear each of their stories about being abused by this man," Dustan told the jury about hearing the six girls testify.

He went on to say that former Fast Feet employees will testify to "rules put in place" for them, but that those rules didn't apply to Parker. He added that "the way [Parker] treated children, the way he spoke about children," would also be addressed.

Dustan told the jury they'd hear from the girls' parents and a licensed clinical social worker.

Parker's attorney, Edward Riley, talked about Parker's former time as a police officer and said that all he'd ever wanted to be was a coach and mentor. Fast Feet was the chance for him to be that.

"It all came crashing down when allegations were made," Riley said.

He told the jury they'd hear Parker's wife, two daughters and mother testify.

"There were hugs, there were tickles, there were pokes," Riley said. But he said these actions didn't amount to the charges Parker faces.

Witness 1's testimony: 11-year-old's mother

The first witness called to testify by the Commonwealth was Laurie Willis, the mother of A.W., one of Parker's accusers.

Willis said her daughter and son began attending Fast Feet in March 2023. She said she liked that her kids were active and not using screens.

Both of her kids attended the summer program Fast Feet offered. Willis said it was an all-day camp with field trips during the week, like lake days on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Willis said her daughter, A. W., did not go to camp on the lake days but instead went to work with her.

Willis said she had a conversation with A. W. at some point about A. W. not wanting to go back to Fast Feet. Willis later pulled both of her kids out in August 2024.

Willis said after they withdrew, A. W.'s "anxiety and stress levels were increasing" -- she couldn't sleep and she didn't want to go in public, or even their front yard.

In March 2025, Willis said she got a call from the Powhatan County Sheriff's Office regarding Parker. She had to take A. W. to the Child Advocacy Center for a forensic interview.

Willis said after Parker was arrested, A. W. "slept for probably 12 hours straight" and that she could see a "weight lifted off of her."

Witness 2's testimony: 11-year-old former student

The second witness called to testify by the Commonwealth was A.W., who appeared via CCTV.

Eleven-year-old A.W. said she went to Fast Feet before and after school and in the summer. She said she liked getting to play sports there and that she got to see friends who went to different schools.

She said Parker touched her buttocks multiple times a day over her clothes while she was at Fast Feet. She said he would "pat and sometimes slide [his hand] off," and that this made her "very uncomfortable." She said no other Fast Feet employees touched her like this.

She said she had trouble sleeping knowing she'd have to go back to Fast Feet. She added that she would try to avoid Parker by staying in big groups.

A.W. said she didn't tell anyone because she was scared of getting in trouble. She said Parker never made any threats or promises in exchange for her not telling anyone.

She said she felt "relieved" when another girl came forward and when Parker was arrested.

When questioned by Parker's defense, A.W. said she agreed that Parker is "nice" and said she used to say goodbye to him before she left.

Witness 3's testimony: 11-year-old's father

The third witness called to testify by the Commonwealth was David Willis, A.W.'s father.

Willis spoke about a day when he got to Fast Feet to pick up A.W. and her brother. He said that, through a window, he saw Parker straddling A. W. and tickling her. He said it made him feel "pretty furious."

Willis said he told the lady at the front desk that this was inappropriate.

He said within the next week or two, after he'd cooled down, he also confronted Parker about it, and that Parker had assured him it wouldn't happen again.

"I've never sat on top of my daughter like that -- and it made me very upset," Willis said.

Witness 4's testimony: 12-year-old's mother

The fourth witness called to the stand by the Commonwealth was Tonya Martin, the mother of P.M., one of Parker's accusers.

Martin said she enrolled P.M. at Fast Feet at the beginning of her fifth-grade year. She said she previously knew Parker, as he had coached her in one season of soccer when P.M. was seven or eight years old.

Martin said she had no safety concerns and that P.M. never shared concerns.

In March 2025, she got a call from the Powhatan County Sheriff's Office and was "shocked" by what she was told. She gave no context as to what she was told in that call.

Witness 5's testimony: 12-year-old former student

The fifth witness called to the stand by the Commonwealth was P.M., who testified via CCTV.

Twelve-year-old P.M. said she liked going to Fast Feet because she got to play sports and make friends, but added that Parker made her uncomfortable.

She said Parker touched her chest under her shirt, but over her bra. She said he also touched "down below [her] stomach," but he didn't go under her underwear.

She said this would happen while she was sitting on Parker's lap.

"He would force me," P.M. said.

She said Parker told her to sit on his lap, or she wouldn't be able to play or would be suspended.

P.M. said this happened more than once while sitting at the front desk. She said she'd tell Parker she was going to play with the other kids to get away.

While she said she never saw Parker touching anyone else, P.M. talked to other girls at Fast Feet about him making her uncomfortable and decided to go with another girl to tell the manager. She stopped going to Fast Feet after this.

She also underwent a forensic interview at the Child Advocacy Center.

When questioned by Parker's defense, P.M. agreed that she would hide when it was time for her to get picked up.

In a tense moment, the defense said P.M. told the interviewer at the Child Advocacy Center that Parker didn't touch her chest. The Commonwealth argued that that isn't how the interview went.

During this exchange, P.M. could be seen wiping tears with a tissue and taking deep breaths.

Witness 6's testimony: 10-year-old's adoptive mother

The sixth witness called to testify by the Commonwealth was Tara Hudson, the adoptive mother of S.H., one of Parker's accusers. Hudson is S.H.'s maternal grandmother and adopted her when she was three years old.

Hudson said that, when she was enrolling S.H. at Fast Feet, she had a conversation with Parker about S.H.'s traumatic upbringing and said she wanted to make sure she'd be safe there.

Hudson said she wasn't aware of anything inappropriate happening between Parker and S H. at the time. However, she said that S.H. wouldn't sleep in her room alone or with the lights off and was afraid of men looking at her in public.

She said S.H. had never acted like that before 2024.

In March 2025, Hudson got a call from the Powhatan County Sheriff's Office and "was in shock." She gave no context as to what she was told in that call.

She said S.H. did two forensic interviews at the Child Advocacy Center. Hudson said that, after they got home from the first interview, S.H. told her something in the driveway and decided she should go back for a second interview. Hudson didn't explain what it was that S.H. told her.

S.H. stopped going to Fast Feet around the time of the arrest. Some of her ongoing behavior lasted for a few more months, but Hudson said S.H. is in counseling and is "doing great."

Hudson said she didn't expect the behavior S.H. has accused Parker of.

Witness 7's testimony: 10-year-old's adoptive mother

The seventh witness called to testify by the Commonwealth was Joy Hudson. Joy Hudson is Tara Hudson's wife and S.H.'s second adoptive mother.

Joy said S.H. had some behavioral issues at Fast Feet and had been on probation at the program at some point.

Witness 8's testimony: 10-year-old former student

The eighth witness called to the stand by the Commonwealth was S.H., a former student and alleged victim.

Ten-year-old S.H. said she enjoyed playing basketball and fishing. She went to Fast Feet every day during the school year and attended its summer program.

She said she spent time with Parker at the front desk, sitting in his lap.

"He did things to me he shouldn't have," she said.

S.H. said Parker would touch her between the legs and on her chest. She said he would touch her chest under her shirt and over her bra, and in her pants under her underwear. She said this happened twice, adding that no other Fast Feet employees touched her this way.

S.H. said she didn't tell anyone because she was "scared."

She said she saw Parker touch P.M. and another girl in the same way he touched her.

She said she was "relieved" to stop going to Fast Feet.

When she was questioned by Parker's defense, S.H. admitted to getting in trouble at Fast Feet in the past for lying and that she had lost the privilege to go on the lake trips during the summer program. However, she said she had worked to get this privilege back. No context was shared about what she lied about.

The defense and S.H. also disagreed with how her first interview at the Child Advocacy Center went. The defense said that, during her first interview, she said Parker had not touched her chest. S.H. said that this didn't happen.

S.H. also testified that Parker told her "not to tell anyone." The defense said this was the first time she'd said that, despite the fact that she was asked if Parker had made any comment like this during both interviews at the Child Advocacy Center. S.H. said this also didn't happen.

During day two of the trial, the final three accusers, their families, former Fast Feet employees and Parker's family are expected to testify.

Stick with 8News as we continue to follow this case.