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Tucker Etheredge, 26, 5001 Par Drive, Denton, was charged with sexual battery, statutory rape, exploitation of a child and enticement of a child, Lt. John Neal said.
“He was staying at a local hotel, did some Internet searching on craigslist and located a personal ad for a female in the Jackson area who was interested in a sexual encounter,” he said. “They agreed to meet at a location in south Jackson, and he took her back to Ridgeland where they had a sexual liaison in his hotel room. Turns out, she was a minor.”
The incident at Staybridge Suites, 801 Ridgewood Rd., was reported March 8 at 2:43 p.m., police records show.
Neal said police haven’t determined whether the 14-year-old victim placed the ad. He said police believe the girl was “a willing participant.”
Police are investigating whether the Web site is being used for other such incidents in Ridgeland.
“We’ve just done some basic exploration on it, seeing if there’s anything in the Ridgeland area on advertising for potential criminal activity,” he said.
SEPARATELY, MADISON police are investigating a purse snatching at Kroger at Colony Crossing, Lt. Eddie Lawrence said.
A woman told police she was putting groceries in her car around 4 p.m. March 10 when another woman approached her and asked for directions to Old Navy. As she gave directions, the suspect grabbed the victim’s purse and drove away with an unidentified man.
“They were obviously cruising the parking lot waiting for a vulnerable victim,” the victim said in an e-mail. “Thankfully, there were two witnesses that made out some of the numbers on the car tag and recognized the model of the car. By the time I called to cancel my credit card, they had used it at three stores in Jackson and been to the ATM, with no success.”
Lawrence confirmed that account.
“They approached her with a ruse, just being nice and courteous. She never suspected anything and just got caught off guard.”
Video surveillance from Kroger recorded a portion of the incident, Lawrence said. “You don’t actually see the theft take place, but you can see the vehicle pull up to where she is.”
The case was still under investigation, Lawrence said. Anyone with information is asked to call the Madison Police Department at 601-856-6111.
JACKSON POLICE reported another slow crime week on the Northside.
Among the incidents reported, police have been investigating two aggravated assaults, one business burglary and an attempted house burglary.
At a recent neighborhood association meeting, Cmdr. Kenneth Goodrum said crime continues to trend down on the Northside. “As of Wednesday, March 12, crime was down 38 percent on the week and 19 percent year to date,”he said.
Huff said one other victim also filed a report against the suspect with police.
On March 5, the McDade’s grocery store at 653 Duling Ave., was burglarized. Huff said surveillance tapes showed a black man entering the store around 4:30 a.m., for an apparent nicotine fix. The man stole cigarettes and other tobacco products before leaving the scene.
He apparently entered through a damaged front door, Huff said, setting off the store’s alarm. Huff said the incident is still under investigation, but a suspect hasn’t been charged.
On March 7, crooks attempted to break into a dwelling at the Pebble Creek Apartments in the 5000 block of Manhattan Drive. The complainant left home at approximately 5 p.m. and returned four hours later to find that someone had attempted to kick in their front door.
Officials say the suspect didn’t gain entry and nothing was stolen from the scene.
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