LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Louisville Metro Police Department is searching for a young man who allegedly assaulted an elderly woman in south Louisville over the weekend.
What started as a typical Saturday afternoon for Jan Fletcher quickly took a disturbing turn. The 78-year-old was cleaning her front porch on Maple Road around 4 p.m. when a young man approached her on his bike.
Fletcher believes he was between 14-16 years old. She said he was asking for directions to a nearby park.
A few seconds later, the teenager gets handsy. Her granddaughter shared home security footage of the incident.
In the video, it appears as if he's dusting off Fletcher's bottom, but then he repeatedly gropes her until Fletcher demands he stop. The video shared with WDRB shows the whole encounter took less than a few minutes.
"I just said to him 'you better leave,'" Fletcher said. "I was so mad. I was just shocked. These young people are out here doing stuff and thinking they can get by with it."
While it's hard to make out what's said in the video, Fletcher said the teenager asked if anyone else was inside the house. She believes he could've robbed her if she hadn't fought him off.
"This person could've had a knife in his pocket or a gun," Fletcher said. "I'd have died trying to keep him away from me. I kept thinking, 'what could I have done different?'"
LMPD's 7th Division is handling the investigation. As of Wednesday morning, no arrests had been made.
"I hope that he is caught," Fletcher said. "He needs to be caught and punished. He might not get lucky if he goes up and does this to somebody else."
LMPD sent WDRB News the following statement regarding Fletcher's assault:
There is no evidence that there is any widespread crime trend reported of males groping senior women. As always, we advise that the elderly are often the victims of scams, harassment, and home invasion which often start with suspicious questions at the door.
Police officers also offered three tips:
- Trust your instincts. If a person or situation makes you feel uneasy, trust your gut feeling. Acknowledge the potential threat and take action to stay safe.
- Take note of your surroundings. Pay attention to potential hiding spots for an attacker, such as alleys, doorways, large bushes, or between parked vans. When walking past these areas, give them a wide berth.
- Look for warning signs. Stay alert for suspicious behaviors, like someone following you on foot or in a vehicle. If you notice this, change directions, cross the street, or enter a business to signal that you have noticed them.
"I just hope that never happens to anybody else," Fletcher said.
Fletcher said she's lived in the same home for the past 55 years, and that it's a quiet neighborhood. She said she has "great neighbors" who look out for her, and she refuses to live in fear.
"He's not scaring me because I will not tolerate being scared," Fletcher said. "The very next day, which was on Sunday afternoon, I was sitting back here on my porch. I've sat on my porch every day since!"
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