HENRY COUNTY, Va. – UPDATE 12/30 5:15 A.M.:
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office said they’ve arrested Lucas Donley, 36, of Roanoke, who is accused of sexually assaulting a child.
Investigators worked tirelessly to locate Donley. On the evening of Dec. 29, they received information that Donley may have been in Kernersville, North Carolina.
We’re told the Henry County Sheriff’s Office worked with the Kernersville, NC Police Department to follow up on those leads.
Officers said the Kernersville Police Department was able to locate Donley.
When they approached him, police said he led law enforcement on a lengthy high-speed pursuit across multiple North Carolina jurisdictions. He eventually lost control of his car and crashed in Davie County, NC.
Donley was arrested and transported to a NC medical facility to receive treatment for his injuries, authorities said.
He will now be extradited back to Henry County to be served with the six felony charges and will also face multiple charges in NC related to the vehicle pursuit.
UPDATE 12/29 8:30 P.M.:
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office is still searching for a Roanoke man accused of sexually assaulting a child in Martinsville.
On Wednesday at 6 p.m., the Martinsville-Henry County 911 Center got a call about a child who had been sexually assaulted at the Raceway Inn in Martinsville.
When deputies arrived, they learned a 6-year-old child had been briefly left in the care of Lucas Donley, 36, of Roanoke.
The parents of the child told deputies when they returned, they discovered he had sexually assaulted their child and they called 911.
They told deputies, at that point, Donley took off in a 2014 Kia Forte. Deputies say the vehicle is blue or silver and has Virginia Registration tags that read VWM-5364.
Later on Wednesday, Donley was seen driving on Barrows Mill Road, deputies said. When they attempted to stop him, he took off at a high rate of speed, tracked in excess of 100 miles per hour, toward Pittsylvania County.
A police pursuit ensued, and authorities said they determined it was necessary to stop pursuing Donley due to the risk to other drivers.
Investigators then issued six felony warrants for Donley’s arrest, according to the Sheriff.
As the search continued, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office got word of Donley’s potential location, which was said to be in the Mountain Valley area of Henry County.
Officers from several agencies searched the area on foot, by car, and in the air into the evening hours to no avail, the Sheriff said.
Donley is described as being 5′ 9″, 270 lbs, with brown hair and green eyes. We’re told he was last seen wearing a grey hoodie and jeans.
The Henry County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s assistance in locating Donley. Anyone with information regarding Donley’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at 276-638-8751 or Crimestoppers at 63-CRIME (632-7463). The Crimestoppers Program is offering a reward of up to $2500.00 for information that leads to his arrest. The nature of the crime and the substance of the information determine the amount of reward paid.
ORIGINAL STORY 12/29 5:13 A.M.:
A manhunt is underway for a man accused of sexually assaulting a child.
According to the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the Martinsville-Henry County 911 Center got a call about a child who had been sexually assaulted at the Raceway Inn, 1044 Memorial Blvd. in Martinsville.
When deputies arrived, they learned a 6-year-old child had been briefly left in the care of Lucas Donley, 36, of Roanoke.
The parents of the child told deputies when they returned, they discovered he had sexually assaulted their child and they called 911.
They told deputies, at that point, Donley took off in a blue or silver 2014 Kia Forte with Virginia Registration VWM-5364..
The sheriff’s office said deputies later located Donley traveling on Barrows Mill Road and when they attempted to stop him, he took off at a high rate of speed toward Pittsylvania County.
Deputies said the speeds were tracked in excess of 100 mph.
During the pursuit, deputies say Donley hit a car, drove into oncoming traffic almost striking several other cars, and then turned his headlights off while continuing to drive at a high rate of speed.
Due to the number of people on the roadways, deputies determined it was necessary to stop pursuing Donley to prevent causing serious risks to other drivers.
Investigators have issued several arrest warrants for Donley, which include the following:
- Felony Elude law enforcement,
- Aggravated sexual battery,
- Three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a custodial relationship.
In addition, Donley was already a registered sex offender on the Virginia State Police Sex Offender Registry.
“As of this time we are still looking for Lucas Conley. Since the beginning of this, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, Patrick County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Virginia State Police have been working together to apprehend Lucas. We believe he may still be in the North East corner of Henry County. We ask the public to call if they see anything that may be related to this,” Lane Perry with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office said
Anyone with information regarding Lucas John Donley’s whereabouts is asked to contact the Henry County Sheriff’s Office at 276-638-8751 or Crimestoppers at 63-CRIME (632-7463).
The Crimestoppers Program offers rewards up to $2500.00 for information related to crime.
The nature of the crime and the substance of the information determine the amount of reward paid.
