Woodbine man charged with sodomy, sexual abuse of eight-year-old

A Woodbine man has been charged with the sexual abuse and sodomy of an eight-year-old.

Thirty-one-year-old James LaForest was arrested Thursday in connection with the alleged incident on April 8.

Kentucky State Police Trooper Jeremy Elliotte wrote in the arrest citation, that he was contacted on April 8 after the juvenile claimed to have been raped by LaForest.

“Upon interviewing the accused, I was able to obtain a recorded confession from the accused…” Elliotte wrote in the citation.

LaForest was charged with first-degree sexual abuse of a victim under the age of 12 and first-degree sodomy of a victim under the age of 12.

LaForest is being held in the Whitley County Detention Center on a $50,000 cash bond.

Under Kentucky law, the sodomy charge is a class A felony, carrying a potential prison sentence of 20 to 50 years or life.

Under Kentucky law, the sexual abuse charge is a class C felony, carrying a potential prison sentence of five to ten years.