Floyd man sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A Floyd man who pleaded guilty to first-degree kidnapping has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the required sentence for that offense.

Rodney Ray McCarty, age 62, was initially charged with first-degree sexual abuse, a Class A felony; first-degree burglary, a Class B felony; first-degree kidnapping, a Class A felony; operating while intoxicated and other traffic violations, after an incident where he allegedly sexually abused a woman in a home near Floyd.

McCarty pleaded guilty to the kidnapping charge in an agreement where the other felony charges and several traffic offenses were dismissed.

On Friday at the sentencing hearing in Floyd County District Court, Judge Colleen Weiland sentenced McCarty to a term of life in prison. “Defendant’s sentence may not be reduced for good conduct time, work credits, and/or program credits, and Defendant will not become eligible for parole,” the sentence says.

According to court documents describing the original incident, 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.