Stabbed girl leaves hospital
A 12-year-old girl who was found two weeks ago at a remote North Idaho campsite with multiple stab wounds, allegedly inflicted by her father, has been released from the hospital, the Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office disclosed on Tuesday.
The girl, who was being treated at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, was released over the weekend, according to the statement from Sheriff Chuck Reynalds.
Reynalds said the sheriff’s office in Wallace is serving as a collection point for donations for the girl.
Her father, John Rollins Tuggle, 37, is facing a charge of attempted murder for allegedly stabbing her several times on July 20 and leaving her for dead in the woods north of Prichard, Idaho. Tuggle’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the Shoshone County Courthouse in Wallace.
The registered sex offender allegedly picked up his daughter from her Athol home the morning of July 20 and said he was taking her to the mall. Instead, he took her into the woods, bound and stabbed her and then abandoned her, authorities allege.
Authorities said it had been nearly 10 years since Tuggle had seen his daughter because he was serving time in prison for raping his then-13-year-old sister-in-law. She became pregnant as a result of the rape.
Reynalds said in Tuesday’s statement that his office had received notification that Tuggle’s daughter had been sexually assaulted the day of the stabbing. According to the release, Tuggle is the only suspect.
The sheriff’s comments support a statement made by a detective at a probable cause hearing on July 21. The detective said the 12-year-old girl told a deputy that a sexual act took place while she was with her father.
The sheriff’s statement on Tuesday said additional charges against Tuggle were pending. But a spokesman for the Shoshone County Prosecutor’s Office said the office could not discuss any charges until they are actually filed and become public record.
Tuggle was arrested after a Wallace convenience store clerk recognized him on July 27.