Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
OREM — An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for a man accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl on her way to the store.
Ryan David Lucero, 34, whose last known address was in Magna, was charged Tuesday in 4th District Court with rape of a child, aggravated sexual abuse of a child, and sodomy on a child, all first-degree felonies; and child endangerment, a third-degree felony.
On Dec. 17, a 13-year-old girl was walking to Walmart in Orem using the pedestrian tunnel on the north side of University Parkway, which connects the Utah Valley University campus. Before she walked into the tunnel, Lucero came up to the girl and told her, "Hey I'm following you," according to charging documents.
As Lucero continued to talk to the girl, he asked her if she wanted to do drugs with him, according to police. After accompanying the girl to Walmart, Lucero led the girl to an apartment complex across the street and to a shed behind an apartment building where he gave the girl drugs and sexually assaulted her, the charges state.
DNA collected during a sexual assault examination of the girl matched with Lucero, according to the charges.
The alleged assault came just six months after Lucero was released from federal custody. Lucero was convicted in federal court for threatening a Veterans Affairs police officer. He was sentenced to time served.
As of Tuesday, police had not been able to locate Lucero to arrest him on the new charges. His family told investigators they have not seen him since August.
A no-bail arrest warrant was issued for Lucero on Tuesday.
