Retired LPD officer spots man wanted in sexual assault of a child

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A retired Lincoln Police Department officer helped find a man wanted in the sexual assault of a child on Monday.

Lancaster County Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said 42-year-old Christopher Hunt had been transient since July.

Investigators reached out to Melissa Ripley, an LPD officer who works with the homeless population.

“She did a lot of work with the clientele that she works with,” Houchin said.  “She also reached out to a retired LPD officer who she knew walked in an area where there’s some camps that the homeless live.”

The retired officer was shown a photo of Hunt and thought he’d seen him in the past.

“Well, yesterday afternoon, they were out walking the trails again, and they located him sitting on a park bench reading,” Houchin said.

The Fugitive Task Force was then contacted and arrested Hunt near 38th and Franklin streets.

“This is just a great show of how both agencies work together,” Houchin said, “and how, once you’re a cop, you’re always a cop, even if you’re retired.”