Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Loretto man arrested for attempted kidnapping and sexual battery
Lawrenceburg Now
A Loretto man is facing multiple charges in connection with the attempted kidnapping and sexual assault of a woman who was out walking Saturday morning.
Reports filed through the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department show that deputies were dispatched to 41 Glendale Road in Loretto shortly before 9:00 a.m. The call was in regards to an unwanted person who was being held at gunpoint by the homeowner.
The homeowners reported they had been in their yard when they saw the forty-one year old victim run out of their house. The male resident said he went inside to see if everything was all right while his wife went to check on the victim.
Once the resident, age 54, entered the home, he said he encountered a man, identified as forty year old Kurk Mitchell Slater of 1020 North Military Street, Loretto, standing in his hallway.
He told deputies that Slater punched him in the throat, they struggled, then Slater ran into a bedroom. He said he quickly grabbed his pistol, then told Slater that he had a gun and ordered him out of the bedroom.
Slater exited the bedroom and began to hit him with a ceramic tile. He pulled the trigger on the pistol, however the safety was on and the gun failed to fire. The pair struggled again and he said Slater then darted towards the door. He said as he ran into the living room he struck his wife.
It was at this point, the resident said, that the victim’s husband and son came through the door. They were able to tackle Slater and held him at gunpoint until deputies arrived on the scene.
When they spoke with the victim, she reported that she had been walking when she was approached by Slater. She said he threatened to “throw her off the bridge” and made sexual remarks to her. She had fled to the home seeking help.
When deputies reviewed the scene they found that the back door glass had been knocked out and a broken ceramic tile was lying in the hallway. A stuffed fox was damaged during the incident, as well. Damages were estimated to total $575.
Reports show that once Slater was transported to the sheriff’s department he agreed to speak with deputies about the incident. He said he had been walking when he saw the victim running along the roadway. He said that “his battery was dead in his car and was going to ask (victim) to jump him off.”
Slater said that the victim “started screaming and ran” into the house and that he had gone inside to check on her. In order to get in, he said he had to break the back door glass. He then went to the front door and entered.
He told deputies that the victim ran outside and that the resident came inside and began yelling at him and punching him. He said that when he punched the resident back, he grabbed a gun.
Slater said he then fled into the bedroom, picked up a tile, came back into the hallway and struck the resident. He said he was trying to leave when he was tackled by the victim’s husband and son.
