On May 24, a man attempted to sexually assault an elderly woman while she was taking part in gardening in Ventura. She was assaulted by a 26-year-old man named Lathanial Walker.
ELDERLY ABUSE IN VENTURA
Around 8:15 a.m. the Ventura Police Department received reports that Walker was attempting to sexually assault the woman on the 200 block of South Dunning Street.
The victim of elderly abuse was a 75-year-old woman. She was in her front yard gardening when Walker approached her.
Walker went up to the woman and stood in front of her for a few minutes. He was watching her while she was taking care of her garden. Suddenly, he moved closer to the woman and removed his pants.
The police stated, “Walker grabbed the victim from behind and began to drag her toward a more secluded area…The victim yelled for help and neighbors intervened to save the victim from further trauma.”
While the neighbors intervened, Walked escaped and arrived at a nearby mall. Then, he was arrested by the police.
THE ELDER ABUSE ATTACKER’S PRIOR CONVICTIONS
According to KTLA, he was held in custody in the Ventura County Jail. He was booked on charges of aggravated kidnapping assault with the intent to commit rape and elder abuse.
Walker was involved with an Oxnard burglary in 2021. He was arrested for the crime and then released from custody on March 18, 2023.
Additionally, Walker has been arrested on several other occasions. He has been arrested for assault on a child, assault on a police officer, robbery, and stolen vehicle. Some of his arrests took place in cities from other states such as Virginia Beach, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida.
As of now, the elder abuse case continues to remain under investigation.
Those with any information on the elder abuse case are advised to call the Ventura police at (805) 339-4400. Those that wish to remain anonymous may provide information to Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS or lacrimestoppers.org.
Incidents like these should never happen and it is a true tragedy when one does occur. Our hearts go out to the victim of this assault.
If you have any questions regarding an elder abuse case, you should contact an elderly abuse attorney immediately.