Belle man charged with 5 felonies in sex abuse case of boy, 12

By Roxie Murphy, Staff Writer
Posted 8/26/20

Michael D. Tungate, 31, of Belle was arrested Aug. 18 on a Maries County felony warrant issued by Judge Kerry G. Rowden on charges including child kidnapping and statutory rape involving a child. He …

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Belle man charged with 5 felonies in sex abuse case of boy, 12

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*This article contains graphic details and may not be appropriate for all ages.*


Michael D. Tungate, 31, of Belle was arrested Aug. 18 on a Maries County felony warrant issued by Judge Kerry G. Rowden on charges including child kidnapping and statutory rape involving a child. He was being held without bond until his initial court appearance Tuesday morning before Rowden (see related story on right).

The allegations that were investigated on Aug. 17 by Kenneth Kilmer, with the Missouri State Technical Assistance Team, were made by a 12-year-old male identified throughout the report as I.D.

I.D. told his mother, identified only as T.D. for this report, about an incident on May 13 where a 24-year-old Belle woman had performed a sexual act on him (at an unspecified time) while Tungate was doing “sexual things to (the woman) from behind.”

The woman’s name is being withheld by the newspaper since she is potentially a victim of sexual assault herself.

T.D. reported the incident on July 26 to Maries County Deputy Jerry Coborn.

Kilmer received a request to help with the investigation on July 27 by the Maries County Sheriff’s Office and proceeded to contact the Belle woman, I.D.’s mother T.D., and a male who owns property where the reported sexual assaults took place.

According to information contained in the probable cause statement seeking charges against Tungate, I.D. stated that while at a residence on May 13 in the 20000 block of Route M in Maries County, Tungate had forced the Belle woman to perform oral sex on I.D. while Tungate was doing “sexual things” to her from behind.”

According to the report, the woman had consumed alcoholic beverages at Tungate’s mother’s residence earlier in the evening. Tungate’s mother then transported her son and the woman to Tungate’s camper that was in the barn at the Route M residence.

The Belle woman told Kilmer that she was not sure how I.D. came to be in the camper but remembered him inside. I.D. told officials that Tungate had called him over to the barn and pulled him into the camper, then refused to let him go.

During an interview at the Child Advocacy Center, Kid’s Harbor Too, I.D.’s mother T.D. informed STAT Investigations Manager Kimberly Gerbner that I.D. had told her that he had begged to leave the trailer, but was not allowed to do so.

Once inside the trailer, Tungate provided a drug that was in the form of wax, which I.D. said made him “black-out.” Tungate had both I.D. and the Belle woman inhale smoke from the wax from a device. I.D. said smoking the substance made him feel like he needed to vomit and compared the taste to candle wax. The Belle woman also said she threw up several times throughout the night.

I.D. said the woman was intoxicated.

During questioning on July 27, the Belle woman said Tungate grabbed the back of her head by her hair and forcefully shoved her head into I.D.’s lap and that Tungate yelled at I.D. to unzip his pants and ordered her to perform sexual acts on the boy. She confirmed that she did so while Tungate “had sexual intercourse with (her) from behind.”

According to the report, after coming to from another “black-out,” he remembered his penis inside of the Belle woman’s vagina. The woman told investigators she remembered I.D. touching her vagina later in the evening while in a different area of the trailer on a bed. The Belle woman also confirmed that she and Tungate had intercourse numerous times while I.D. slept at their feet.

When I.D. next woke up, he recalled being on the “top bed” at the feet of Tungate and the woman. He left the trailer and went inside the residence to wake up the property owner and tell him what happened, but decided not to because of Tungate’s threats.

I.D. reported that after the incident in the camper, Tungate had returned to I.D.’s residence and told him, “What happens at 247 stays at 247.”

I.D. stated that “247” are the numerals included in the address to the Route M house. I.D.’s mother recalled Tungate telling her son frequently “what happens at 20047 stays at 20047.”

He would repeat the statement until I.D. confirmed, verbally, that he understood. T.D. did not find this strange and surmised it was because Tungate always “socially awkward.” She also noticed Tungate was at her house more frequently than usual after May 13.

The Route M property owner told investigators that I.D. usually spends the night inside his residence, but that night he didn’t.

When he looked outside for I.D. around 10 p.m. and 11 a.m., the barn doors were closed shut. He noted after that evening there was a significant change in I.D.’s demeanor, describing it as depressed. He recalled Tungate telling I.D. that “what happens at 247 stays at 247.”

T.D. said she became aware of the incident involving her son when she was contacted by the Belle woman, who came to her residence.

On the same day, a man contacted her to inform her that he knew about an incident involving her son but wanted another individual to tell her the details.

A woman who was selected by that man to inform the boy’s mother, told her that Tungate had informed a number of people about making the Belle woman perform sexual acts on her son. The Belle woman also told investigators she apologized to the boy the next day because she knew the incident should not have happened.

She said she informed I.D.’s mother about the incident. She also displayed text messages indicating Tungate had blamed her for the incident and threats of harm were directed at her “in the form of people being sent to where she lives,” the report noted.