KNOX COUNTY, Ky. — Officials with Kentucky State Police said a man was charged with kidnapping, rape and reckless engagement Saturday night after sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl.
Officials said that Benny Hammons, 70, from Barbourville, approached the girl on Whitesburg Hollow Road while she was riding her bicycle. He was in a car and asked her to drive it as he placed the bicycle inside the vehicle, according to authorities.
They said he then sexually assaulting her while in the car. The girl was on the same road when she saw a police officer and drove towards him, according to a release from Kentucky State Police.
As she approached the officer, Hammons grabbed the wheel and the car drove off the roadway into a ditch, authorities said.
Hammons was arrested and booked into the Knox County Detention Center, according to the release. Anyone with more information about the case is encouraged to call Post 10 Harlan at (606) 573-3131.