Floyd man pleads guilty to first-degree kidnapping; sentencing scheduled

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A Floyd man who was charged with first-degree sexual abuse and first-degree kidnapping for allegedly raping a woman in a home near Floyd has changed his plea to guilty on the kidnapping charge and is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.

Rodney Ray McCarty, age 62, was charged with first-degree sexual abuse, a Class A felony; first-degree burglary, a Class B felony; first-degree kidnapping, a Class A felony; and operating while intoxicated, a serious misdemeanor; for events that allegedly happened July 26.

He was also charged with several other lesser crimes, including simple misdemeanor assault for allegedly hitting another person, and leaving the scene of an accident after allegedly striking a horse and buggy on Quail Avenue.

McCarty initially pleaded not guilty to all the charges, and a trial was set to begin Oct. 25 in Floyd County District Court.

However, last week McCarty’s attorney informed the court he was changing his plea, and a hearing was held on Friday where District Court Judge Colleen Weiland accepted McCarty’s plea of guilty to first-degree kidnapping.

First-degree kidnapping is an A felony with a penalty in Iowa of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Weiland set sentencing for McCarty for Oct. 28.

According to court documents, a 911 call was made to Floyd County Dispatch at 8 p.m. on July 26 by a woman who said a man had broken into the home of her friend and raped the friend.

Deputies arrived at the home and found the victim had been assaulted physically and sexually while being held against her will for approximately two hours, court documents state. McCarty had left the scene when the friend of the alleged victim arrived at the house, and allegedly struck the friend before he left.

The two women were able to provide a description of the man and the license plate of the vehicle, and the man had left his driver’s license along with his clothes at the scene of the alleged assault, the documents state.

Court documents also said McCarty had struck a horse and buggy on Quail Avenue and left the scene of that accident, the court report states.

McCarty was taken into custody after he was found naked and unconscious behind the wheel of his vehicle, and was “unable to stand or speak clearly due to his intoxication,” the court report states.

McCarty is being held under $527,000 cash bond in the Floyd County Jail.