A Kentucky woman remained jailed Friday after a grand jury indicted her on charges of sodomy and incest allegedly involving a child under 12.
Lauren Winans, 31, of Bardstown, was arrested Thursday following the indictment returned Wednesday in Nelson County, court records showed. She is being held on $250,000 bail and had not yet posted bond as of Friday, according to Nelson County Jailer Justin Hall.
The indictment accuses Winans of sexually abusing and sodomizing a victim younger than 12 during a period spanning nearly 11 months. The alleged offenses occurred sometime between Jan. 1, 2022 and Nov. 20, 2022, the court papers stated.
In one of the four counts, Winans “committed the offense of sodomy in the first degree by engaging in deviate sexual intercourse with C.G.W., a person less than twelve years of age,” the indictment alleged. The victim was identified in three of the counts only by the initials C.G.W.
Winans also faces a charge of incest. The indictment states she “committed the offense of incest when she had sexual intercourse or deviate sexual intercourse with a person whom she knew to be an ancestor who was less than twelve years of age.”
It remained unclear whether the underage family member referenced in the incest count was the same individual identified as C.G.W. In the other charges. The precise nature of the family relationship was also not specified in the available court documents.
If convicted on the top count of first-degree sodomy, Winans faces up to life in prison. The severity of the potential sentence reflects the age of the alleged victim, as Kentucky law imposes enhanced penalties for sex offenses involving children under 12.
Winans is scheduled to be arraigned on Nov. 5. No attorney for her was immediately identified in court records or confirmed by officials.