close
close

Man arrested for sexually abusing teenager on her way home in Visalia, police say

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) – A man suspected of sexually abusing a teenage girl was arrested in Visalia on Wednesday.

The attack occurred shortly after 8:45 a.m. in the area of ​​Giddings Street and Wren Avenue.

According to police, the girl was walking home near the corner of Giddings and Wren Avenue when a man began to follow and attack her.

She was able to fight him off and he ran.

The community flooded the comments section of a Visalia Police Department Facebook post and quickly identified the man as 20-year-old Ulises Lupian.

Less than three hours later, police released a photo of Lupian in handcuffs and thanked the community for it.

The quick response of locals and police did not surprise the people we spoke to, but it did provide some comfort.

“It gives us some peace of mind knowing that we can count on them if something like this happens to us,” said Visalia residents Maria and Girardo.

Lupian was charged with oral sex with a minor and lewd acts with a minor using force, which are aggravated crimes.

He is being held on $500,000 bail.

For updates follow Kate Nemarich on Facebook, Þjórsárdalur and Instagram.

Copyright © 2024 KFSN-TV. All rights reserved.