The case against a man who terrorized a family on Duff Road by assaulting a man with a tire jack tool and setting an outbuilding on fire is moving forward.
Eliud Lopez-Cruz, 36, of Radcliff, has been indicted by a Grayson County Grand Jury for first-degree burglary, second-degree assault, third-degree arson, five counts of felony wanton endangerment, first-degree criminal mischief, fleeing or evading police (on foot), and menacing.
Upon law enforcement arriving at the scene, they learned Lopez-Cruz had left the residence and fled into a nearby wooded area, according to the arrest citation. Lope-Cruz, according to witnesses, was carrying a machete.
A male victim, who had been struck multiple times in the head with a tire jack tool and began suffering seizures, was transported by EMS to Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center. He was later taken to another hospital for treatment of major head injuries.
The citation states that the incident began when Lopez-Cruz became angry when asked to leave the home. In addition to assaulting a male, the suspect is accused of setting an outbuilding on fire — the Leitchfield Fire Dept. responded but the fire was extinguished prior to firefighters arriving — and busting out the windows of two vehicles.
Prior to police arriving, Lopez-Cruz returned to the residence after setting the outbuilding on fire, but the residents had locked the door. He then “tried to force entry into the home and broke out two windows (while) still armed with a weapon,” the citation states.
Schroerlucke and Sims used a drone for between two and three hours to try and locate Lopez-Cruz without success.
Then, at approximately 1:30 the next morning, Grayson County Dispatch received a call that a male was walking towards Taylor Cemetery on Taylor Cemetery Road. Upon Cast and Miller arriving, they gave the suspect, who was in the cemetery, verbal commands to stop.
“Lopez-Cruz didn’t listen,” resulting in the deputies pursuing the suspect into a wooded area behind the cemetery.
“Upon reaching Lopez-Cruz several hundred yards later, he started yelling that he had a knife to his throat and was going to kill himself in a creek bed,” according to the citation. He initially refused verbal commands to surrender, but “after several minutes of talking with Lopez-Cruz, he complied and was arrested without further incident.”
Lopez-Cruz is lodged in the Grayson County Detention Center.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
