Girl sues kidnapper who sexually assaulted her

EUGENE, Ore. - The small sedan rammed the 10-year-old girl as she rode her bike down River Loop #1, knocking her to ground.

The driver got out, grabbed her by the hair, pulled her into his car and drove off.

In the next hour, law enforcement combed the area for the car and prepared an AMBER Alert that never had to be issued: after a 20-minute chase at 60 mph, the girl was with police -- and Malcolm Gerlach was in custody.

But during that hour on Jan. 20, 2009, the victim was subjected to sexual assault by Gerlach and suffered physical injuries caused by the initial impact of the car and the car crash that ended Gerlach's flight from police.

Less than a year later, Judge Debra Vogt sentenced Gerlach to 130 years in prison.

"I think we need to recognize some monsters don't just exist in fairy tales," Vogt said. "They're out there walking among us."

Gerlach will likely live out his the balance of his natural life in prison.

The young girl, to date, has incurred over $2,500 in medical bills and another $10,000 in counseling bills.

The girl and her guardian filed a lawsuit Monday against Gerlach seeking $650,000 in economic and non-economic damages.

The suit specifically seeks $300,000 for ongoing psychological counseling over the girl's lifetime, and another $337,500 for pain and suffering.

The girl and her guardian are represented by Anthony T. Rosa of Rosta & Connelly, P.C. in Eugene.

KVAL News chose not to identify the girl or her guardian. KVAL News does not identify the victims of sexual assault.