By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

HOOVER—An 18-year-old man Shelby County is facing a sexual abuse charge after detectives charged him in connection to a March 5 attack on a female jogger.

According to a news release from the Hoover Police Department, Christopher Michael Tate allegedly attacked a woman while she was jogging on a paved path between the Maple Trace subdivision and Hoover High School at around 12:30 p.m.

“An unknown male, who was also jogging, approached the victim and attempted to befriend her,” the news release read. “When they reached a secluded area on the trail, the male grabbed the victim, forcibly kissing and groping her in a sexual manner.”

The victim escaped and ran for help after kicking the suspect.

According to the news release, Hoover detectives identified the suspect and obtained an arrest warrant on March 10. Tate surrendered on March 11 at the Jefferson County Jail in Bessemer.

Tate has been charged with first-degree sexual abuse, which is defined by the Alabama Code as subjecting “another person to sexual contact by forcible compulsion” or subjecting “another person to sexual contact who is incapable of consent by reason of being physically helpless or mentally incapacitated.”

First-degree sexual abuse is a Class C felony. Tate could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Tate was released from the Jefferson County Jail on March 11 after posting the $15,000 bond.