Louisville Man, 32, Accused of Using Taped Lighter to Kidnap Woman for Cash

A 32-year-old Louisville man is facing robbery and kidnapping charges after police say he climbed into a stranger's car on Rainbow Drive, threatened her with what looked like a handgun, and forced her to drive toward an ATM so he could get cash. The object turned out to be a blowtorch-style lighter wrapped in tape to resemble a firearm, according to police. Alexander Luckenbill was already out on bond for back-to-back retail theft and burglary charges from July when the alleged kidnapping happened this past weekend.

According to WAVE News, the incident began around noon in the 7200 block of Rainbow Drive, where police say Luckenbill approached a woman sitting in her vehicle and climbed into the backseat. He reached inside the car with what appeared to be a handgun and demanded money, police said. The victim told officers she had no cash, but Luckenbill allegedly ordered her to drive to a Circle K gas station on Dixie Highway so she could withdraw funds from an ATM. Per WHAS-TV, that Circle K sits specifically at the intersection of Dixie Highway and Pendleton Road.

Witnesses Feared a Real Gun

A second witness, who was also in the vehicle, told responding officers she believed Luckenbill was carrying a real handgun, according to the same report. That witness said Luckenbill kept what appeared to be a gun at his side during the encounter, police said. Once inside the Circle K, the victim told officers she had called police, and Luckenbill fled on foot, according to WAVE News.

Officers ultimately caught up with Luckenbill after he fled on foot during the kidnapping, WAVE News reports. He was found barefoot nearby, according to police. A search of his bag revealed the suspected weapon was, in fact, a blowtorch-type lighter wrapped in tape to resemble a handgun.

Fake Weapon, Real Felony Charge

That means Luckenbill's alleged use of a taped lighter still exposes him to a first-degree robbery charge. Kidnapping an adult to facilitate a felony carries the same Class B felony range when the victim is released alive and largely unharmed, per Justia's summary of Kentucky Revised Statute 509.040.

Luckenbill is charged with first-degree robbery and kidnapping of an adult, WAVE News reports. He was booked at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections following his weekend arrest and is held on a $75,000 cash bond, according to WHAS-TV. He's scheduled for a preliminary hearing on August 25.

A Shoplifting Spree Preceded the Kidnapping Charge

The kidnapping and robbery accusations come on top of two pending felony theft charges tied to a same-day shoplifting spree on July 22, according to WAVE News. Police say Luckenbill concealed unpaid merchandise inside a backpack at a Meijer store located at 9905 Dixie Highway, making off with $928.20 worth of goods. He had reportedly been formally trespassed from that Meijer location back on June 11.

About 26 minutes after the Meijer theft, police say Luckenbill struck again at a Home Depot at 6840 Dixie Highway, stealing a red drawstring backpack filled with mechanical saw blades valued at $661.46. Officers who conducted the traffic stop reportedly found the stolen saw blades in the backseat of his vehicle, along with Meijer merchandise in plain view. Luckenbill admitted to committing both thefts in order to resell the merchandise, according to police. He was charged with felony third-degree burglary and theft of retail merchandise for resale, and he's scheduled for arraignment on those charges on August 31.

Kentucky's Broader Retail Theft Crackdown

Kentucky retailers faced theft concerns, while Louisville Metro Police have addressed shoplifting locally.

It remains unclear how Luckenbill secured pretrial release on bond after his back-to-back July theft charges, and whether prosecutors will move to revoke that bond at his August 25 preliminary hearing. How the robbery, kidnapping, and property theft charges will ultimately be structured in front of a grand jury is also still undetermined. The case echoes another recent Louisville kidnapping prosecution Hoodline covered after a mental health review, in which a suspect allegedly forced a victim at knifepoint to drive to a bank drive-through for cash before being caught. According to Kentucky Court of Justice Pretrial Services, information about an individual's bond or release status can be obtained from the jail where the defendant is housed or the county Pretrial office.