By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – A 39-year-old Alabaster man was released from jail on bonds totaling $15,000 after he was charged with allegedly fondling an underage victim.

The Alabaster Police Department arrested James Michael Hooie on Dec. 14 and charged him with three felony counts of first-degree sexual abuse.

The charges came after Hooie allegedly molested an underage female victim multiple times between 2012 and Dec. 11, according to his arrest warrants.

According to Shelby County Jail records, Hooie was released from jail on bonds totaling $15,000 the same day he was arrested. He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Jan. 14, 2015 at 8:30 a.m.

First-degree sexual abuse is a Class C felony, and is punishable by up to 10 years in prison upon conviction.