MURRAY – A Murray man facing sodomy and sexual abuse charges was arraigned in Calloway District Court Tuesday.
The Murray Police Department (MPD) arrested Phillip Doughty, 45, last week and charged him with first-degree sodomy, victim under 12 years of age, and first-degree sexual abuse, victim under 12 years of age.
The sodomy charge is a class A felony and carries a potential penalty of incarceration for 20 years to life. The sexual abuse charge is a class C felony, punishable by five to 10 years in the state penitentiary.
According to the uniform citation, MPD launched its investigation in December after receiving information from the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services regarding a possible sexual offense. Lotus Sexual Assault Center conducted a forensic interview with the alleged victim. During that interview, the victim disclosed information to the counselor that was consistent with sexual abuse.
When interviewed by law enforcement, Doughty allegedly admitted to having the child perform sex acts with their hand and mouth, the citation stated, further noting that the child was six years old at the time the alleged abuse occurred.
Doughty was arrested on Jan. 9 and is being held in the Calloway County Detention Center on a $100,000 cash bond. On Tuesday, he made his first appearance before Calloway District Judge Randall Hutchens via Zoom from the jail and entered a plea of not guilty.
Doughty informed Hutchens that he was supposed to start a new job on Monday, but, at the time of his arrest, he was still unemployed. Hutchens appointed the Department of Public Advocacy to represent Doughty and set his preliminary hearing on Wednesday, Jan. 22, at 9 a.m.
Before stepping away from the podium, Doughty asked if his bond could be reduced, but Hutchens advised that a reduction in the bond amount was not appropriate at the present time.
“You’re charged with a class A felony,” the judge said. “That carries a potential life sentence, so obviously, it’s serious; so, I’m not going to change it today. We’ll talk again next week.”
In its press release about the arrest, MPD advised that if members of the public have any information about this or any other crimes, they can leave an anonymous tip by contacting Murray Calloway County Crime Stoppers at 270-753-9500.
Individuals charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
