A man wanted in connection with an alleged incident in Henry County is now in custody in North Carolina.
Investigators in Henry County issued six felony warrants for Lucas John Donley, 36, of 1632 Carroll Ave., Roanoke, VA, in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a child on December 28.
Donley allegedly fled in his vehicle. Authorities later determined the ensuing pursuit was too risky to others and ended the pursuit.
Since then, investigators have worked tirelessly to locate Donley. Their efforts included a foot, patrol, vehicle, and helicopter search of the Mountain Valley area of Henry County on Thursday.
According to a release, officers from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, Patrick County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and Virginia State Police “thoroughly and diligently searched the Mountain Valley area,” the release stated.
Later Thursday, Dec. 29, Henry County investigators received information that Donley may have been in Kernersville, NC. Investigators from the Henry County Sheriff’s Office worked with the Kernersville, NC Police Department to follow up on those leads.
Officers from the Kernersville Police Department located Donley. When they approached, he allegedly fled in a vehicle, and led law enforcement “on a lengthy high-speed pursuit across multiple North Carolina jurisdictions,” the release stated.
Authorities allege that Donley eventually lost control of his car and crashed in Davie County, N.C.
He was taken into custody and transported to a North Carolina medical facility for treatment of his injuries.
He will be extradited back to Henry County to be served with the six felony charges that include three counts taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a custodial relationship, felony elude law enforcement, aggravated sexual battery and forcible sodomy.
He also faces multiple charges in North Carolina related to the vehicle pursuit.
Henry County Sheriff Lane Perry thanked residents who provided information, media partners, and the many agencies who assisted with this investigation, including the Virginia State Police, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Patrick County Sheriff’s Office, the Martinsville-Henry County 911 Communications Center, Kernersville, NC Police Department and the many other North Carolina agencies involved in the pursuit.
