CRAWFORD COUNTY (KFSM) – A Van Buren man was sentenced to 15 years behind bars Monday after pleading guilty in a sexual assault case involving a teenage girl.
Terry Tindle, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree sexual assault and received a 15-year prison sentence, with an additional 15 years suspended, according to the Crawford County Prosecutor’s Office.
He was first arrested on suspicion of rape, but the charge was later downgraded when he pleaded guilty, court records state.
An arrest warrant was issued for Tindle on suspicion of rape on March 31, 2014, according to authorities. The rape incident took place between Nov. 2011 and March 2012, court records state.
Tindle gave a 13-year-old girl drugs and alcohol, causing her to become intoxicated, according to court documents. Those same documents state that after the girl passed out, she woke up to him raping her.
When the victim tried to push the defendant away, he punched her in the jaw, rendering her unconscious again, authorities said. When she woke up, the suspect was gone, and she was in “extreme pain,” to the point that she could barely walk, court documents state.
On June 17, 2014, Tindle pleaded not guilty to the rape charge, according to court records. As a result of pleading guilty to second-degree sexual assault, Tindle must complete the sexual offender program while in prison, according to the prosecutor.
A search of Tindle’s criminal history shows that he has prior convictions of fourth-degree sexual assault, possession of drug paraphernalia, breaking and entering and more.
