Man convicted of domestic violence after Mammoth Cave incident

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – A Bowling Green man has been sentenced after committing a domestic assault in Mammoth Cave National Park.

According to court records, Rakan F. Elsalem, 40, was sentenced to 37 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for domestic assault as a habitual offender.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred on May 1, 2023 in Mammoth Cave National Park.

“I commend the efforts of the National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers for their outstanding work in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky. “Working with rangers, we will continue to aggressively address violations of the law on federal lands throughout the Western District.”

According to the press release, at the time of the attack, Elsalem had already been convicted twice of crimes that, if subject to federal jurisdiction, would have been an attack on a spouse or domestic partner.

These include previous convictions for fourth-degree assault on September 22, 2020 and January 24, 2022 in Warren District Court.

There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by the National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers.

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