Blaze News last week reported on a disturbing incident in Louisville, Kentucky, involving a grandmother who was alone on her porch in the middle of the day when her home surveillance camera captured a young male getting off his bike, walking up her driveway, and approaching her on the porch of her home.
As WLKY-TV reported, the male asks 78-year-old Jan Fletcher, “Is somebody in there? I don’t want to wake them. Is somebody in there?”
‘I want an apology for him doing it.’
Fletcher responds, “Yeah. Why?”
The station said the male was asking for directions to a well-known neighborhood park. But then the male got all the way onto the porch, walked behind Fletcher, and acted as though he was dusting something off her rear end.
But WLKY said the male soon repeatedly and violently groped Fletcher until she was able to stop him.
“I was so mad that it happened,” Fletcher recalled to the station during an on-camera interview. “I was thinking, ‘What could I have done different?’ But I don’t know what I could have done differently.”
Her granddaughter Jessica Powell-Page was understandably horrified and told WLKY that “she didn’t deserve that” and that the incident was “unacceptable.”
Well, Louisville Metro Police Department said police arrested a 13-year-old male Friday in connection with the incident and charged him with third-degree sexual abuse, WLKY said in a follow-up story.
Police said the male doesn’t live in the neighborhood where the incident occurred, the station added.
Despite the disturbing encounter, Fletcher noted to WLKY in its initial report that she’s lived in her neighborhood for 55 years and has felt safe — and that she’s not going anywhere.
“I’ve been asked if I’m afraid to sit here on my porch, and I’m not,” she noted to the station defiantly. “I want him to know you’re not scaring me. Absolutely not. So every day that it’s nice weather, I will be on my porch.”
Following the arrest, Fletcher told WLKY, “I want an apology for him doing it.”
“I really hate that these young people are out here doing stuff. I hate it; it’s sad. … What enjoyment do they get out of doing stuff? I don’t understand it,” Fletcher added to the station.
Louisville police told WLKY that “the elderly are often the victims of scams, harassment, and home invasion, which often start with suspicious questions at the door.” Police also offered the following tips, the station said.
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.
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Arrest, 13-year-old male, Louisville, Groping, Grandmother, 78-year-old woman, Front porch, Home surveillance video, Sexual abuse charge, Crime
