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Shively police arrest Louisville man after 14-year-old reports groping and attempted follow
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Kentucky/The Apex Times/Jul 5, 2:04 PM EDT

Shively police arrest Louisville man after 14-year-old reports groping and attempted follow

Lonza Victor Manuel, 47, was taken to custody after officers responded to a possible kidnapping call and later said the teen identified him following a reported assault while she searched for a missing dog.

3 min readEditor-approved Apex article

A Louisville man is in custody in connection with allegations that he grabbed a 14-year-old girl and tried to follow her while she was looking for her family’s lost dog in Shively, police said. The arrest was reported Tuesday, July 5, after Shively Police responded to a call in the 2700 block of Crums Lane around 1 p.m. on the Fourth of July, where a caller described a man they believed was attempting to kidnap a teenage girl, according to local reporting.

WLKY reported that Lonza Manuel, 47, was arrested after police said they received the initial report of a shirtless man approaching the teenager and asking for money. Police said the girl told the man she did not have money, after which, according to the reporting, he began touching her and inappropriately grabbed her multiple times, including pulling at her shirt. The account also said her shirt was torn during the incident.

Officers responded to the area based on the description and, according to WLKY, located a man matching the suspect description a few blocks away. Police then returned the suspect to the area of the girl’s home, where the teen was able to identify him, according to the reporting. WLKY also said officers reported smelling a strong odor of alcohol coming from Manuel during their interaction.

WAVE News similarly reported that officers were dispatched to the Crums Lane area for a possible kidnapping attempt and that the teen described the sequence of events, including the approach, the request for money, and alleged physical contact after she said she had none. WAVE reported that the encounter was witnessed by family members and that officers took Manuel to the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections without incident after the identification, as described in the news account.

According to WLKY, Manuel denied having any contact with the victim. The reporting said he was charged with first-degree sexual abuse, harassment with physical contact, and public intoxication. WAVE’s report listed charges including first-degree sexual abuse, harassment (with physical contact and no injury) and alcohol intoxication in a public place, reflecting the same general allegations of conduct and the role of alcohol cited by police in the incident.

The case is now headed toward the criminal court process, where charges will be addressed through arraignment and subsequent hearings unless the defendant resolves the matter through a plea agreement. Until a court resolves the matter, Manuel is presumed innocent of the allegations under Kentucky law, and police are relying on their account of the identification and reported circumstances described by the teenager and responding officers.

For the community, the incident highlights the risks police say can arise from opportunistic approaches to children and teens in residential areas, including during holiday hours when families may be outside or on the move. Shively Police said they treated the call as a potential kidnapping attempt and moved quickly to locate a suspect matching the description, then used identification by the alleged victim to support the arrest, according to the reporting.

Why It Matters

  • The case involves alleged sexual abuse and harassment of a minor and follows a residential encounter that police say began with an approach and request for money.
  • Police said they acted on a time-sensitive description and made an arrest after alleged victim identification, which can be central to how evidence is evaluated in court.
  • If the charges proceed as filed, the allegations and the claimed role of intoxication may shape pretrial proceedings and conditions of release.
  • The incident may affect community awareness about personal safety and stranger encounters in neighborhoods, particularly during periods when families may be looking for missing items or traveling locally.

Sources

Key Facts

  • Shively Police responded to a call reporting a possible kidnapping attempt near the 2700 block of Crums Lane around 1 p.m. on July 4, according to WLKY and WAVE News.
  • Police said a 14-year-old girl reported that a shirtless man approached her, asked for money, and then allegedly grabbed her, including pulling at her shirt, which was torn, the reports said.
  • WLKY reported that officers located a man matching the description a few blocks away and, after bringing him back to the girl’s home area, the teen identified him.
  • Police identified the arrested suspect as Lonza Victor Manuel, 47, and reported alcohol odor during the interaction, according to WLKY and WAVE.
  • WLKY reported Manuel was charged with first-degree sexual abuse, harassment with physical contact, and public intoxication.
  • WAVE News reported charges including first-degree sexual abuse, harassment (physical contact, no injury), and alcohol intoxication in a public place.
Shively police arrest Louisville man after 14-year-old reports groping and attempted follow | The Apex Times