Sheffield man facing sodomy charge

TUSCUMBIA - A Sheffield man who claims he doesn't know how he woke up naked in bed with a naked woman he was sodomizing is out of jail after posting $5,000 bail Monday afternoon, authorities said.

Colbert County officials said JoArthur McDonald, 23, 126 Rivermont Court, Sheffield, spent the weekend in jail after he was charged with first-degree sodomy.

Authorities said he is accused of the crime against a 21-year-old woman at her residence in the Barton community.

"Our deputies were called out early Saturday morning to a residence on Plantview Drive and when they arrived, they met the victim and she said she had been raped," Colbert County Sheriff Ronnie May said. "McDonald was still inside the house and was being detained by members of the victim's family."

May said after talking with the victim, investigators were called to the scene and McDonald was later taken into custody and charged after he was questioned.

The sheriff said McDonald denies any wrongdoing and said he doesn't know anything about what happened.

"He said they had been watching movies (at her house), then went to get something to eat and came back and were watching more movies. Then they went to bed to sleep," May said. "He said he woke up sometime later in the morning and they were both naked and he was on top of her sodomizing her."

The sheriff said the woman was taken to the hospital.

"(The woman) says she never gave consent and that she was raped," May said.

The sheriff said investigators are looking into the possibility that a date rape drug could have been used on the woman.

"She doesn't remember anything after coming back from getting something to eat," the sheriff said. "We're looking at all avenues trying to find out what exactly took place."

The sheriff said evidence found in the case has been taken to the Alabama Department of Forensics in Huntsville. First-degree sodomy is a Class A felony, which is punishable by 10 years to life in prison if convicted.

Tom Smith can be reached at 740-5757 or tom.smith@TimesDaily.com.