A Lawrence County man has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of rape.
Agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said they took 30-year-old Stephen Purcell, Jr., of Leoma, into custody Thursday night.
An investigation began on February 15 after officials received allegations of rape.
That investigation led authorities to discover that on February 15, a woman reportedly met Purcell at his home on Old Jackson Highway, and Purcell allegedly held her against her will, sexually assaulting her.
Thursday, the Lawrence County Grand Jury returned indictments which charged Purcell with four counts of aggravated rape, four counts of rape, one count of aggravated kidnapping, one count of aggravated assault, and one count of domestic assault.
Purcell was booked into the Lawrence County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
