Girl details alleged sexual assault inside Louisville Target, man later arrested in Lexington case

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — A girl is speaking out after she says she was followed and sexually assaulted inside a Louisville Target by a man who was arrested hours later in connection with a separate alleged sexual assault in Lexington.

LEX News is not identifying the girl because of the nature of the allegations and her age.

The girl said she was shopping with her grandmother when they stopped at Target so she could use the restroom. She went inside the store alone.

After leaving the restroom, she said she noticed a man following her.

“I started walking like a little faster, and then he kept following me, so I went into the makeup aisle to try to get away from him,” she said.

The girl said the man followed her into the aisle.

“He came up behind me and grabbed me,” she said. “And I was really confused on what just happened, so I like walked away.”

She said she immediately found a Target employee and told them what happened. Security was called, and a report was filed with Louisville Metro Police.

“It was my immediate response because I thought, like, if I told someone, they would help me figure out what to do,” she said. “My mom’s always told me, like, if something ever happens to you, go tell an adult.”

According to the girl, Louisville Metro Police identified the man as 25-year-old Drew Mullannix using Target security footage and a distinctive tattoo on his neck.

The Louisville allegation happened hours after Lexington police said Mullannix sexually assaulted a woman at a Lexington hotel early Sunday morning.

Mullannix was arrested Sunday night in Scott County on a Fayette County warrant stemming from the Lexington case. He faces charges of sodomy, sexual abuse and wanton endangerment in connection with that case.

Mullannix has not been charged in connection with the Louisville incident.

The girl said learning that Mullannix had been arrested brought some relief.

“I was really happy that he was arrested because I didn’t know if he was going to do that to someone else or if he had been doing that to other people,” she said.

Now, she hopes sharing what happened will encourage other girls and women to speak up when they feel unsafe.

“If you feel uncomfortable or if something like that happens to you, always go immediately or go somewhere where you see an adult,” she said. “Don’t be afraid to scream at the top of your lungs or go and tell an adult what just happened.”

LEX News did reach out to LMPD for a comment on the investigation. We have not received a response.

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