A story coming out of Memphis, Tennessee shows that children are not safe walking to school. Police are stating that Larry Ward, 20, was driving his SUV when he spotted an 11-year-old girl walking to school at Geeter Middle School. Ward deliberately hit the girl, knocking her senseless and put her into his car. His intention was not to get her help but rather to sexually assault the child. Ward brutally raped the girl and left her in a ditch on the side of the road.
A man on his way to work identified as Cameron Fifer discovered the girl injured and crying on a corner. The concerned citizen asked her what was wrong and she said, “I got raped.” Fifer went on to state, “She was like, ‘I was hit by a truck, a blue truck, and the guy proceeded to rape me.’ ” The victim was taken to a local hospital and later released with non-critical injuries.
Police spotted a Santa Fe Hyundai that matched the girl’s description of the SUV just two miles from the attack. Ward was taken into custody and charged with aggravated kidnapping, assault and rape of a child. Police stated that Ward’s criminal record includes a burglary arrest in 2015 and he was arrested for driving with a suspended or revoked license earlier this year.
The crime shocked the community and Memphis Police Department Director Mike Rallings told the media, “That broke my heart to imagine that a little innocent 11-year-old girl on the way to school was brutally attacked by anyone. I’m glad that we worked again to bring that family some closure.”
One resident in the community said, “We never had issues like that over here. Never. Not issues about rape. This is like a family community over here.”
