Jerry Wayne Waller, 36, was arrested Monday and charged with first degree rape after the Pike County Sheriff's Department responded to a sexual assault call at 3 a.m. the same day.

According to Pike County Sheriff Russell Thomas, a female was walking along County Road 2 south of Brundidge near Country Ranch Estates when Waller allegedly approached her from behind.

Thomas said the victim was walking from her home to a neighbor's when she was assaulted.

"The female victim reported that she was walking on County Road 2 when a male subject came up from behind her and forced her into a wooded area off the paved road where she was sexually assaulted," Thomas said.

The victim managed to flee to a nearby residence to seek help. The resident then took her to another location near U.S. Highway 231 and called for assistance. She was transported to Edge Regional Medical Center by Hayne's Ambulance Service where she was treated and released.

One officer from the sheriff's department responded to the same location as the ambulance and officers also met the ambulance at the hospital.

Waller, who has lived at Lot 10 of County Ranch Estates for three or four months, is a convicted felon from Mississippi. He is being held in the Pike County Jail with a $50,000 bond.