A 41-year-old Boonville man is currently being held in the Howard County Jail, facing charges of rape and kidnapping after he allegedly forced himself upon a woman working in a Braun Home residence in Fayette on October 21.

Christopher Paul Neal is charged with first-degree rape, an unclassified felony; first-degree kidnapping, a Class B felony; and third-degree domestic assault, a Class E felony. He remains in custody on a $30,000 cash-only bond.

According to the probable cause statement, Neal, who worked part-time for the Braun Home, entered the residence where the woman was working, which was otherwise unoccupied at the time of the incident, shortly before 11 a.m. The victim told police she resisted Neal’s advances and told him to leave. She said Neal forced her to the ground and sexually assaulted her, then left the residence.

Neal was arrested that same day, at 1:06 p.m. He was arraigned before Judge Garreth Cooksey on Thursday, October 23. A bond review hearing was scheduled for 9 a.m. on Thursday, October 30.

Neal faces five years to life in prison if convicted of first-degree rape, five to 15 years in prison on the charge of kidnapping, and up to four years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000 for the third-degree assault charge.