An Izard County rape suspect is on the run. Authorities are searching for 53-year-old George Tunnicliff of Dolph on three felony counts of rape and a felony count of residential burglary.
Arkansas State Police Special Agent Becky Vacco stated in an affidavit she interviewed Tunnicliff’s adult daughter in July 2016. The victim alleges when she was age four or five, she woke up one night to Tunnicliff on top of her and touching her inappropriately. She says she asked him to stop, but he continued and said, “It’s just me.” The alleged incident occurred in Calico Rock.
Agent Vacco says she interviewed a 15-year-old child over a year later. The teenager claims Tunnicliff first touched her inappropriately when she was age ten to 12, and more incidents have occurred since then. The victim says she refused to let Tunnicliff engage in intercourse with her, but he has touched her inappropriately more times than she can count with the last incident occuring between May and July 2017. She adds she has lived at the same residence with Tunnicliff since she was a small child because he’s married to her mother, and the alleged incidents occurred at the family home in Dolph.
On the burglary charge, another affidavit states Izard County Deputies Evan Jones and Richard Crowe were dispatched to the home on Wayland Arbor Road in Dolph in the early morning of May 12th after the resident stated Tunnicliff refused to leave even though he was not allowed to be there. While en route to the residence, the deputies were advised by dispatch Tunnicliff had been hit in his head with a baseball bat and was sitting on the steps bleeding, but he reportedly left before authorities arrived. Deputy Jones stated he observed several drops of blood on the stone walkway leading to the front door.
The resident greeted the deputies holding a pink-colored baseball bat and stated she did not know where Tunnicliff went. When Deputy Jones spoke with the resident and her 15-year-old daughter, the teen reportedly admitted to striking Tunnicliff with the bat. She stated she was asleep in her room when Tunnicliff opened her window and came in. She reportedly woke up when he touched her leg and followed him down the hallway and outside where she hit him with the bat. The end of the bat allegedly had dried blood.
The mother later came out of her bedroom, saw Tunnicliff in the doorway and told him to leave. She also said Tunnicliff had been in her pickup truck. Deputies says he observed drops of fresh blood on the passenger side running board, both seats and the molding around the passenger door.
The mother said she has been to court with Tunnicliff, and he was ordered not to be at the residence. She added they were in the process of divorcing. A spokesperson from the Department of Human Services reports the mother was able to get her children back as long as Tunnicliff did not have access to them.
Anyone with knowledge of Tunnicliff’s whereabouts should contact the Izard County Sheriff’s Office at 870-368-4203.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI