Marla Jones, Managing Editor
marla@southerntorch.com
FORT PAYNE, Ala.-- On March 7, 2022, Rex Duard Tidmore, 64, of Geraldine, pled guilty to 22 child sex crimes and another 4 drug-related offenses.
On April 21, Judge Shauntahan Bell sentenced Tidmore to the following:
- Conspiracy to Commit Human Trafficking: Life in Prison
- Sodomy 1st Degree: Life in Prison Without Possibility of Parole
- Possession of Obscene Material Involving a Minor (20 counts): Life in Prison for
each count
- Manufacturing a Controlled Substance: 20 years
- Trafficking in Cannabis: Life in Prison Without Possibility of Parole
- Unlawful Possession of Controlled Substance: 5 years
- Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia: 1 year
Bell further ordered that the sentences run consecutively rather than concurrently, meaning that even without the 2 sentences of life without the possibility of parole, Tidmore faces an approximate total of 446 years in the state penitentiary.
Tidmore’s charges originated in December of 2017 when a confidential informant came to law enforcement to report that Tidmore wanted to purchase or kidnap a young girl to keep locked at his house for sexual purposes. During their investigation, officers discovered that Tidmore had already sexually abused a girl under the age of 12. Search warrants executed at Tidmore’s Geraldine residence revealed a sophisticated indoor marijuana growing operation, as well as pictures of a child engaging in sexual conduct.
