Man charged with attack of 12-year-old

A 34-year-old man has been charged with attempted rape after he allegedly tried to break into an Arcade home on Friday and tried to choke a 12-year-old girl.

Jeffery Tingle, Arcade, is being held in the Jackson County Jail following the Dec. 14 incident in Fowlers Mobile Home Park on Athens Highway where authorities say he climbed through an unlocked window of a home at approximately 10:30 p.m. Tingle then allegedly went into a bedroom where the 12-year-old victim and her nine-year-old sister were and assaulted the 12-year-old, Arcade Police Chief Randy Williams said.

“They screamed,” said Williams. “The grandmother came running back, grabbed the kids and ran out screaming. He took off.”

The grandmother notified law enforcement and Tingle was arrested on Tuesday. He lived in the same trailer park and was a person of interest from the beginning, Williams said.

Tingle is charged with eight felony charges, including criminal attempt to commit child molestation, criminal attempt to commit rape, first-degree cruelty to children (times two), aggravated assault (times two), first-degree burglary and a parole violation.

According to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office detention center website, Tingle has been denied bond on all charges.

The website states that “the defendant shall stay away, absolutely, directly or indirectly, by person and telephone, from the person, home and job of (the victims or their immediate family).”