A man accused of using a knife to force a local woman to have sex did nothing of the sort, his attorney says.
The charges against Jason Keith Bouldin, 44, are overblown, according to defense attorney Daniel Barnes.
“He contends he’s completely innocent,” said Barnes. “I’m expecting the charges to be greatly reduced when this goes before the grand jury. It’s hard for me to really see that a crime occurred.”
Bouldin stands charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated rape and theft. The rape allegedly occurred July 20. That’s when the victim claims Bouldin held her at knife point and forced her to drive down the road, reportedly saying he would kill her if she stopped.
Bouldin then took over driving, according to the arrest warrant, and drove to his home. That’s when he allegedly forced her inside for sex while her step grandchild remained in the car.
Barnes said the two had been dating off and on for more than two years. He said anything that may have happened between the two was consensual and the victim has changed her story from what was written in the arrest warrant.
“He had her knife and he was fiddling with it in the parking lot while they were talking,” said Barnes. “But at no point was she ever threatened and she never tried to escape.”
The woman also claimed Bouldin took her dog from her mother’s home and refused to return it. The victim reportedly pleaded with Bouldin over a two-week period to return the dog.
Instead, he stated he had killed it, and on other occasions claimed he had given it to an elderly lady before telling her he had given the dog to a gypsy, the arrest warrant says.
Bouldin was arrested Aug. 16 and still remains in custody at Warren County Jail while waiting to appear in front of the grand jury. The next session of the grand jury is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 1.
The grand jury could indict Bouldin on his current charges, or it could choose not to indict. Not indicting Bouldin would essentially dismiss the charges unless prosecutors decided to bring the case before the grand jury at a later date.
