A man who was once assaulted by Don McDougall, a key figure in the disappearance of 11-year-old Texas girl Audrey Cunningham, says his “only regret” is not shooting him.
Authorities say McDougall, a 42-year-old career criminal who was in prison on child enticement charges, was the last person known to have been with Audrey and hasn’t been seen since Thursday morning. .
McDougall is currently in the Polk County Jail on unrelated charges, but has an extensive rap sheet with several violent convictions, including a 2010 charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. FOX26 reported.
The victim in the case, Eric Bryan III, said he worked with McDougall at a local garage and “seemed like an okay guy” until he became violent after drinking one night.
“We kicked him out of the house and he came back with a knife, cut the tires and tried to stab me with the knife,” Brian told FOX 26.
“I had to chase him away with a gun, but finally the police came out with dogs and got him,” he said, calling the incident “horrifying.”
“He seemed like a nice guy, but there was a whole other side to him that no one knew about,” Brian said.
“Honestly, I should have shot him. That’s my only regret. I didn’t want to do it at the time because it made me feel bad. But looking back, maybe I should have.” ” he told the magazine.
“Given all the allegations against him, it seems like he’s not a good person. There’s something wrong with his head,” Brian said, adding that he feels personally attuned to what Audrey’s family is going through. He added that he could empathize with this.
“I lost my daughter to cancer when she was seven years old. So I know the situation, but the situation here is even worse because there is no closure,” he said. “I hope she’s somewhere healthy and well, because losing her child… like I said, there’s nothing comparable to that.”
Audrey, her father, grandmother and other relatives went missing as authorities continued a frantic search for the girl, believing foul play was involved.
Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons said Monday that McDougall, a friend of the girl’s family, lives in a mobile home behind the home.
Lyons told reporters that the man left the house with her, but would not say whether she arrived at the bus stop she was scheduled to go to.
“At this point we feel he was the last person to see Audrey,” he said.
More than a decade ago, McDougal was sentenced to prison for child enticement, a third-degree felony. Reported by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
He was originally charged with attempted child molestation in 2007 for allegedly attempting to have sexual contact with the girl, and in 2008 he pleaded guilty to seduction charges in another county.
Authorities announced Monday that McDougall was not required to register as a sex offender after the incident.
Crimestoppers has increased the reward to $10,000 for information leading to Audrey’s recovery.
