Indictment: Hartselle man charged with sodomy, sex abuse of minor

By David Gambino 

For the Enquirer  

A Hartselle man remained in jail Thursday after grand jury indictments led to his arrest on eight counts of second-degree sexual abuse and two counts of second-degree sodomy involving a juvenile between 12 and 16 years of age. 

Jay Warren Lawrence, 65, was arrested Sunday evening by the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office and is being held in Morgan County Jail in lieu of a $102,000 bond, according to jail records. 

Morgan County grand jury indictments for Lawrence, signed Sept. 28, were filed in circuit court Monday. He’s scheduled for an arraignment on Jan. 8. 

Second-degree sexual abuse is generally a class A misdemeanor under state law, unless the offender is at least 15 years older than the victim, in which case it becomes a class C felony. 

Second-degree sodomy, or “deviate sexual intercourse” with a person incapable of consent or between the ages of 12 and 16, is a class B felony punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment.