The local men arrested Tuesday and accused of rape have been denied bail.
Jeffrey Daniel Canler, 24, and Matt Bailey, 23, made an initial appearance before District Judge John H. Scaggs on Thursday. Formal charges of second-degree rape were filed against the two men Wednesday by the district attorney’s office. An additional charge of lewd and indecent proposals to a minor child was filed against Bailey.
The accused fled Tishomingo, with Canler staying in Durant and Bailey in Sulphur. Sgt. Ted Woodhead, Tishomingo Police Department, said his department received information as to the men’s whereabouts.
In turn Woodhead relayed to the Sulphur and Durant police departments requests for assistance. The two were arrested and transported to the Johnston County Jail.
Woodhead said in a court affidavit the Department of Human Services received a hotline report alleging the two men had sex with a teenage girl they had met in church. After a police investigation, Woodhead obtained evidence the men had sex with the girl and gave her beer.
If found guilty of second-degree rape, both men could face up to 15 years in prison. Bailey could face three to 20 years in prison if found guilty of lewd and indecent proposals to a minor child.
