# Fugitive arrested in Louisville sex abuse case after 13-month search **Published:** 2026-08-26T21:23:05.000Z **Source:** [KY Center for Investigative Reporting](https://www.lpm.org/investigate/2026-08-26/fugitive-arrested-in-rape-case-connected-to-former-louisville-football-coaches) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/fugitive-arrested-in-louisville-sex-abuse-case-after-13-month-search After more than a year on the run, Zachary Kilgore, 50, has been taken into custody in connection with alleged sexual abuse charges stemming from incidents dating back to 2007, according to reporting by [the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting](https://www.lpm.org/investigate/2026-08-26/fugitive-arrested-in-rape-case-connected-to-former-louisville-football-coaches). Kilgore turned himself in to the [Louisville Metro Department of Corrections on Friday](https://www.lpm.org/investigate/2026-08-26/fugitive-arrested-in-rape-case-connected-to-former-louisville-football-coaches) and pleaded not guilty to charges of complicity to first-degree rape, which carries a 10- to 25-year prison sentence. He was indicted in July alongside former football coaches Ronnie and Donnie Stoner on a combined 52 criminal counts for alleged sexual abuse of multiple girls spanning 18 years. Kilgore's evasion extended a troubling chapter in the case. [The Stoner brothers turned themselves in days after the indictment and pleaded not guilty](https://www.lpm.org/investigate/2025-07-18/former-jcps-coaches-another-man-indicted-52-child-sex-abuse-charges), but Kilgore remained at large, prompting a nationwide manhunt. According to a prosecutor's court filing, Kilgore "evaded capture by leading high speed chases that ultimately had to be terminated by LMPD." The allegations center on the sexual abuse of multiple girls, with the earliest charges stemming from 2005. One of the oldest alleged victims, Alexis Crook, told investigators that Kilgore, described as a close family friend of the Stoners, had sex with her in his van in 2007 when she was 17 and intoxicated. Crook has publicly stated that Kilgore recently offered her tens of thousands of dollars to recant her allegations, which she refused. Crook, who was allegedly abused by the Stoner brothers while attending [Evangel Christian School from 2005 to 2007](https://www.lpm.org/investigate/2025-07-21/former-jcps-coaches-appear-in-court-for-child-sex-abuse-allegations), expressed cautious optimism about Kilgore's arrest. "I don't know if this puts a bigger target on my back, or if this neutralizes the threat," she said. Additional alleged victims include Alyssa Foster, who reported that Ronnie Stoner sexually abused her when she was an eighth grader at Newburg Middle School in 2016, and Aryalle Stoner, Ronnie Stoner's daughter, who alleged abuse beginning at age 11. Kilgore has prior criminal history; he was previously convicted and served time for facilitation to manslaughter in a 2009 double-homicide. Court records also show he was accused in 2011 of using a contraband cellphone to intimidate witnesses in that case. The trial was originally scheduled for August but has been postponed to February after one of the defendants obtained new legal representation. ## Sources - [KY Center for Investigative Reporting](https://www.lpm.org/investigate/2026-08-26/fugitive-arrested-in-rape-case-connected-to-former-louisville-football-coaches) - [KY Center for Investigative Reporting article on the July indictment](https://www.lpm.org/investigate/2025-07-18/former-jcps-coaches-another-man-indicted-52-child-sex-abuse-charges) - [KY Center for Investigative Reporting article on the Stoners' court appearance](https://www.lpm.org/investigate/2025-07-21/former-jcps-coaches-appear-in-court-for-child-sex-abuse-allegations) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from KY Center for Investigative Reporting, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://www.lpm.org/investigate/2026-08-26/fugitive-arrested-in-rape-case-connected-to-former-louisville-football-coaches.