HENRY COUNTY, Va. — Deputies in Henry County, Virginia, are searching for a man accused of sexually assaulting a child at a motel.
It all started around 6 p.m. Wednesday when deputies responded to the Raceway Inn in Martinsville, according to a press release. They found a 6-year-old had been left in the care of Lucas John Donley, 36, of Roanoke. The parents returned to find Donley had allegedly sexually assaulted the child, and the parents immediately called 911.
Donley had left the area before authorities arrived.
Later, the Henry County Sheriff's Office said deputies tried to pull Donley over, but he gave way to a chase heading toward Pittsylvania County. At times, the chase went over 100 miles per hour. During the chase, Donley hit another person's vehicle and went into oncoming traffic.
"Due to the number of citizens traveling on the roadway and the increasing risk to the citizens' deputies determined it was necessary to stop pursuing the vehicle," the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post.
The sheriff's office said it issued six warrants for Donley including eluding law enforcement, a felony, aggravated sexual battery, forcible sodomy and three counts of taking indecent liberties with a child by a person in a custodial relationship. Donley had already been a registered sex offender on the Virginia State Police Sex Offender Registry, the sheriff's office said.
Donley is still wanted, deputies said. He is described as a white man who is 5-foot-9 and weighs 270 pounds. He has brown hair and green eyes. He was wearing a gray hoodie shirt and jeans.
He was last seen in a blue 2014 Kia Forte, with Virginia tags VWM-5364.
On Thursday, deputies said they got information that Donley could be in the Mountain Valley area of Henry County. Authorities with Henry County Sheriff's Office, Patrick County Sheriff's Office, Franklin County Sheriff's Office and Virginia State Police search the area through the night Thursday on foot and by using multiple aircraft.
Anyone who sees him should call the Henry County Sheriff's Office at 276-638-8751 or Crimestoppers at 63-CRIME (632-7463).
