Young girl abducted and assaulted in Lincoln, man arrested

LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - Lincoln Police arrested a man who reportedly abducted and assaulted a young child who ran away.

LPD said on Saturday around 9:30 a.m., officers took a report about a girl under 12, who ran away from home.

Around noon, police said they took multiple calls about suspicious activity in the northeast Lincoln. A witness reported seeing a young female say ‘help me’ before entering a vehicle, and another witness said the child entered a gas station and told them she’d been assaulted and held against her will.

The female left in a green vehicle with a man, witnesses told police.

Eventually, she was let out of the vehicle near Super Saver on 27th and Cornhusker Highway and called police.

The victim told police she ran away from home and was encountered by a man she did not know. The man assaulted her and drove her around town to multiple locations before letting her out near the Super Saver.

The victim provided a description of the suspect, and officers obtained video surveillance of the car. LPD requested assistance from Omaha Police since the car’s registered owner lived in Omaha. The vehicle arrived as officers were at the Omaha address.

Police took 30-year-old Miguel Lupersio Jr. into custody around 5:30 p.m. He was identified as the same man from the video and as described by witnesses and victim. Investigators developed probable cause to arrest Lupersio for 1st Degree Sexual Assault on a Child and Child Enticement.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual assault, you can anonymously report to the Nebraska Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-652-1999. We are grateful to the citizens reported when they saw something that did not look right. Visit humantraffickinghotline.org for more information and what to look for.