Boy ran to QuikTrip after man propositioned and grabbed him, Wichita police say
Police jailed a 62-year-old man after they say he made lewd remarks to and grabbed a boy walking in a south Wichita neighborhood Sunday afternoon.
Webb W. Ketcherside of Wichita was arrested on suspicion of aggravated indecent solicitation of a child and attempted aggravated kidnapping, Wichita police spokesman Kevin Wheeler said in an emailed news release.
Wheeler said the 10-year-old boy was walking on the sidewalk in the 800 block of South Wichita, near Kellogg and Main, when Ketcherside approached him, “made sexually explicit comments, and then grabbed his arm” at about 4:50 p.m. The boy broke free from his grasp and ran to the QuikTrip on Kellogg and Broadway for help.
Police found Ketcherside at the nearby apartment complex where he lives, in the 800 block of South Water, and arrested him without any trouble. Police say he is a registered sex offender and has a prior criminal record that includes convictions for indecent solicitation of a child in 1998, criminal threat in 2009 and theft in 2012. He spent time in prison for those crimes, according to Kansas Department of Corrections records.
The boy suffered only minor injuries in the ordeal.
Police are asking anyone with information about the case to call Wichita police detectives at 316-268-4407 or Crime Stoppers at 316-267-2111.
“These types of cases are rare, and WPD commends the boy for his bravery and running to get help,” Wheeler wrote, adding that the police case against Ketcherside will be presented to prosecutors, who will decide whether to file formal criminal charges.
Ketcherside remained in the Sedgwick County Jail on Monday morning.
To protect children from danger, police encourage parents to talk about and practice safety, including telling children to leave potentially dangerous situations instead of being polite, encouraging them to tell a trusted adult where they are going and making sure they don’t walk alone.
This story was originally published July 20, 2020 at 10:31 AM.
