Noah Houchin

A Bowling Green resident was arrested Tuesday after a 19-year-old woman reported a sexual assault.

Noah M. Houchin, 20, was arrested by the Bowling Green Police Department on a charge of first-degree rape.

Houchin was arraigned Wednesday in Warren District Court, where a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf and a preliminary hearing set for Friday.

The arrest occurred after the alleged victim reported on Tuesday that she had been sexually assaulted on Chester Court in the early morning hours of Friday.

According to an arrest citation, the 19-year-old said she was with a group of friends who had gone to multiple bars and restaurants on the night of May 26 and that the group returned to Houchin’s residence.

The alleged victim reported that Houchin was giving a member of the group a ride to his residence and asked her to ride with him.

After dropping off the friend, Houchin reportedly asked the 19-year-old for sex, and she refused and asked him to take her back to her car, which was parked outside his residence, the citation said.

The 19-year-old reported that Houchin began driving in the direction of his house before turning off Scottsville Road and stopping in the cul-de-sac of Chester Court, where he is accused of assaulting her in his car, after which he drove them back to his residence, the citation said.

City police met with Houchin on Tuesday at his residence.

“When officers asked if (Houchin) knew why we were there, he stated he did but he had an attorney and did not wish to speak with us,” the arrest citation said.

Houchin’s attorney, Alan Simpson, said the incident that resulted in Houchin’s arrest was “not a rape” and that the alleged victim had a previous sexual encounter with Houchin.

“The allegations are completely false,” Simpson said. “We probably would have done an interview (with police) and explained what happened, but they decided to make an arrest without giving him an opportunity to contact his attorney. At this point, I don’t know if we’ll cooperate with them or not.”

Houchin was booked into Warren County Regional Jail and released Wednesday on a $50,000 partially secured bond.