A 38-year-old Canton man was arrested Thursday in connection to a case allegedly involving a young girl.
Saline County Sheriff's Lieutenant Michael Ascher said Friday that Justin Thomas Lee Ingram was arrested on suspicion of the following.
Rape
Aggravated kidnapping
Aggravated criminal sodomy
Battery
Ascher said the arrest was the result of an investigation into an incident that allegedly involved a 7- to 8-year-old girl in late 2014 to mid-2015. The alleged incident occurred in a residence in southeastern Saline County, he said. When asked why it took so long to report the alleged incident, Ascher said he believed the girl was scared and waited for a time when she felt safe to report the alleged incident.
The alleged incident came to light after a multi-person disturbance in the Salina Police Department lobby on Saturday, Ascher said. At least eight people, including Ingram, were involved in the disturbance, Ascher explained. All those involved in the disturbance were either related or at one time had been inlaws, he said. Three children all under age 14 were in the lobby at the time of the disturbance and were placed into police protective custody, Ascher said.
Once police learned that the alleged incident occurred in southeastern Saline County, they called in Saline County Sheriff's Office personnel, he said.
According to Ascher, the investigation is ongoing.