Judge rules: Logan man will face forcible sodomy charge

Michael Anthony, 58, accused of raping a 20-year old girl and faces one count of sodomy, a first-degree felony.

LOGAN — A 58-year-old Logan man will stand trial for sexually assaulting a 20-year-old female at a Halloween party in 2013.

Judge Brian Cannell ruled Thursday afternoon there was sufficient evidence to bind Michael Anthony over for trial. State prosecutors have charged him with one count of forcible sodomy, a first-degree felony.

During the three hour preliminary hearing in 1st District Court, the victim described how she went to a party in the Hillcrest neighborhood, early on the morning of Saturday, October 26. When she arrived, she had around six drinks of hard liquer, smoked some marijuana and snorted a line of what she thought was cocaine. The combination of drugs and alcohol left her in a semi-unconscious state.

The victim described how as she woke up, she felt herself being assaulted and could hear Anthony’s voice saying how beautiful she was. She said she later woke up in a downstairs bedroom of the home and had little memory of what else happened.

A friend of the victim’s also testified that she walked into the bathroom and found Anthony and another man assaulting the victim. She told the men to leave and then took the victim to the downstairs bedroom to rest.

Defense attorney Wayne Caldwell questioned the facts of the case, noting how the victim changed her story of what she remembered during his cross examination.

Judge Cannell noted the questionable facts in the case but said state prosecutors had still met the burden of proof. He ordered Anthony to appear again in court for an arraignment hearing, March 24.

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