| Gleason man faces 22 felony indictments |
By: Sabrina Bates, Special to the Messenger
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Posted: Tuesday, November 3, 2009 9:03 pm
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| By SABRINA BATES Special to The Messenger A Gleason man accused in a recent home invasion rape in Martin now faces felony indictments. The Weakley County Grand Jury was called into special session Monday to hear the case against 35-year-old Bruce Tuck, whose case was originally set for the panel’s January term. The grand jury handed down 22 felony indictments against him Monday. Tuck was taken into custody Sept. 2 by Martin police. At that time, he had 12 charges levied against him stemming from one incident Aug. 30 on Raven Street in Martin. The investigation launched this summer by Shelby and Weakley county agencies, which also included the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, led to a manhunt for a possible serial rapist after five women became the victims of home invasion sex assaults. Tuck was linked to the Aug. 30 home invasion on Raven Street through DNA found at the scene. According to police reports, Tuck allegedly held three people at gunpoint that day and sexually assaulted one of the victims. At that time, there were two previous reports of home invasion sex assaults in Martin. Tuck has now been linked to those cases, which has led to the grand jury’s handing down the additional 10 indictments. The first of those two cases occurred July 24. Officers from the Martin Police Department responded to Bo Drive in Martin on a report of a female who was allegedly bound and raped. The suspect reportedly brandished a black semi-automatic handgun during the incident. He was described as a white man about six feet tall, weighing 250 pounds and with a large pot belly. A suspect matching that same description reportedly assaulted another woman at an apartment on Harrison Road in Martin on Aug. 5. Earlier that same day, Shelby County officers reported a man had entered a woman’s apartment on Macon Road near Whitten in Memphis and fondled the victim before he left the scene. As a result of the grand jury’s decision to indict Tuck for three separate attacks in Martin, Tuck now faces 22 charges. According to the indictments, Tuck’s felony charges include: • Six counts of Class A felony aggravated rape for having unlawful sexual penetration while armed with a weapon with three victims on July 24, Aug. 5 and Aug. 30; • Five counts of Class A felony especially aggravated kidnapping for knowingly removing and confining five victims while brandishing a deadly weapon; • Four counts of Class C felony aggravated burglary for entering a habitation without the effective consent of the property owners. Tuck is accused of breaking into an apartment on Bo Drive twice — once on July 23 and a second time July 24, when the resident was allegedly raped. • Three counts of Class B felony aggravated robbery for taking personal items from three victims, including a necklace, rings and a credit card, while armed with a deadly weapon; • Two counts of Class E felony theft for taking personal property, including a television and a bicycle; • One count of Class B felony aggravated sexual battery; and • One count of Class A misdemeanor vandalism for causing damage to a window and door at one of the victim’s residences. Tuck’s arraignment is scheduled for 9 a.m. Thursday at the Weakley County Detention Center, where he is being held without bond. He is being represented by public defender Joe Atnip. Sabrina Bates is news editor at The Weakley County Press in Martin. Published in The Messenger 11.03.09 |
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