Trial begins: Fieldale man charged with rape and forcible sodomy

A jury of 14 was seated in Henry County Circuit Court and the two-day trial against Bobby Ronell Helms, 44, began about 10:30 a.m. with Judge Stacey W. Moreau presiding.

Charges against Helms were certified a year ago in Henry County General District Court when a 20-year-old woman testified that she and another woman were “riding around and hanging out” in Roanoke when they ended up in the parking lot of Food City in Radford on Jan. 10, 2022.

The Martinsville Bulletin does not name alleged victims in cases involving sexual assault or similar elements.

A man the woman called “Joe Joe,” with whom she said she had sex with in the past and owed $2,000, drove up to the two women in the parking lot.

The woman identified “Joe Joe” as Deshawn Kiree Tucker, 30, of Pulaski and said after a conversation with Tucker the two women got out of their vehicle and left with Tucker in his vehicle.

“He had threatened my family and I owed him money,” she said. “He told me we could do this the hard way or I could work it off.”

Tucker is scheduled to be tried before a jury in Radford Circuit Court on March 2 on charges of abduction with intent to defile and conspiracy to abduct and defile.

The woman testified that she was first brought to Floyd County and the second woman went along with them to make sure “I didn’t do something stupid.”

Tucker gave them over to Waylon Allen Cox, 37, and he took them to his home on Frank Redd Road in Fieldale, the woman said.

“Joe Joe gave Waylon $2,000 and I told them I didn’t want to do this,” the woman said at the preliminary hearing.

Charges of sodomy and detaining a person were dropped at the preliminary hearing against Cox, and charges of detaining a person for prostitution and conspiracy to detain a person for prostitution against Cox were dismissed in Henry County Circuit Court on Sept. 20.

From Cox’s house, the woman said, she was taken to Helms’ house on Sleeping Hills Farm Road in Fieldale.

At the trial on Monday, Henry County Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Roxanne Reeves presented as evidence photographs of what she said was the woman’s cellphone screen with the Life360 app opened. Life360 is a smartphone app that tracks the location of the phone and is typically used by families to keep up with one another.

The app indicated it began tracking the phone in Dublin, Virginia, to Floyd and then to Henry County.

“Waylon Cox said he had freaks that wanted to get high and hang out,” said Helms’ attorney Michael McPheeters. “They shared some cocaine and then they had consensual sex. At some point she felt disrespected and was coming off her high.”

Henry County Deputy Matt Hodges testified that the 911 Communications Center received a text from the woman’s phone at Helms’ home and he responded to the “possible abduction.”

“When I got there her face was red and she was crying and in disarray,” said Hodges. “Helms pointed at the girls on an air mattress on the floor and said ‘here they are.’”

Henry County Cpl. Michael Panos also responded, and both women were placed in the back of Hodges’ patrol car.

“Be careful what you say—you’re being recorded,” Panos could be heard saying to the women a video of the interior of the squad car that was played on a screen in court.

“Why would you say that?” McPheeters asked Panos.

“I saw them talking and I chose to let them know they were being recorded,” said Panos.

In addition to the two women, Panos said. there was another woman and Helms’ son in the residence when he arrived.

When Reeves asked Panos why he responded, he told her that it was due to a 911 text indicating a “possible abduction” and “someone being held hostage,” but when he arrived he heard Helms tell the women: “If y’all want to leave, get out.”

Investigator Evan Monroe was called to testify next, and said he responded to a “possible abduction and sexual assault.”

When talking with the woman, Monroe said she claimed she was raped so, he said, he took her to the Sheriff’s Office for further questioning and then she was transported to the Carilion Hospital in Rocky Mount, where she was tested with a “forensic kit” and the DNA obtained was determined to be that of Helms.

“She also denied using drugs, but tests at the hospital showed she had marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine in her system,” said McPheeters. “They got high and had consensual sex.”

Moreau called a recess for lunch, and Reeves said she had two witnesses who would likely take an hour each and she intended to call both of them to the stand Monday afternoon.

Moreau told the jury she would try to have the case wrapped up and ready for them to deliberate by Tuesday afternoon.

In Virginia, rape and forcible sodomy both carry five years to life.