Neighbor Held In Attempted Rape

A 20-year-old woman whose neighbor asked her for help with his car late Saturday was nearly raped by the man in her Spokane apartment as her two children watched, authorities said.

Police found Thommy G. Aldridge, 41, of 9 E. Bridgeport, asleep on the ground behind a North Division tavern Monday morning.

Detectives questioned the man and then booked him into the Spokane County Jail on charges of second-degree assault and attempted second-degree rape. He was being held late Monday without bond in the Spokane County Jail.

Late Saturday, Aldridge asked the woman for help jump-starting his car, she told police. He then followed her into her apartment about 11:30 p.m. and repeatedly shot her with a “stun gun.” Her two small children saw the attack.

The woman, who is 5 feet tall and weighs 115 pounds, fought off the 6-4 attacker, who weighs more than twice as much as she did, police said. He then fled. She was treated at Deaconess Medical Center and released.