TEXARKANA, Ark. -A man accused of sexually assaulting his girlfriend's adult daughter following a night of celebrating in October entered a not guilty plea Tuesday to a charge of rape in Miller County.
Demetrius Lee Brown, 42, appeared for arraignment Tuesday before Circuit Court Judge Kirk Johnson. Texarkana lawyer Joe Tyler entered a not guilty plea on Brown's behalf.
Brown is currently being held in the Miller County jail with bail set at $150,000.
Brown allegedly assaulted a woman in the early hours of Oct. 18 at her mother's home on Central Avenue in Texarkana, Arkansas, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Brown was allegedly dating the alleged victim's mother when he, the mother and the alleged victim went out to celebrate a birthday at a local bar.
The alleged victim, 24, reported that Brown bought her drinks during the evening and that after a while she began to feel as if she would fall asleep standing up. Brown, the alleged victim and her mother allegedly left the bar at about 2 a.m. before returning to the mother's home. The alleged victim reported that she, Brown and her mother played cards for a short time before she went to sleep in an unoccupied bedroom.
The alleged victim reported that she had just fallen asleep when Brown came in the room and began pulling off her clothing. The woman told investigators she was afraid that she and her mother would be in danger if she shouted and woke her mother.
The alleged victim called her brother at 3:17 a.m. for help. The brother picked up the alleged victim and drove her to a local hospital where a sexual assault exam was performed and police were called.
As investigators spoke with the woman they noticed that she "did not act as if she was under the influence of alcohol. She had a hard time keeping her train of thought and at times would forget the questions I just asked her," the affidavit states.
"Her speech was very slurred and at times she seemed to nearly fall asleep in the middle of our conversation. It's my belief she was possibly drugged at some point in the night," the affidavit states.
When asked if she suspected she might have been drugged, the woman allegedly told investigators "she has never felt like this before."
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Connie Mitchell is handling the case for the state.