By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

A 34-year-old Helena woman has been released from jail on a $30,000 bond after she was arrested on Sept. 23 and charged with having inappropriate sexual contact with an underage male victim.

According to Shelby County Jail records, Amanda Crews Gaskins posted bond the same day she was arrested on one count of second-degree sodomy.

Helena Police Department Detective Chris Rollan said the charges came after a two-month investigation launched after the victim’s family reported the alleged crime to police. Rollan said the charges were tied to a string of alleged incidents involving Gaskins.

“We were notified by the victim’s family, who had concerns,” Rollan said. “After the investigation was concluded, we took it to the grand jury and they returned an indictment.”

Gaskins is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment on Nov. 11, according to Shelby County court documents.

According to Alabama law, second-degree sodomy is a Class B felony, and occurs when a person “being 16 years old or older, engages in deviate sexual intercourse with another person less than 16 and more than 12 years old.”

If convicted of the crime, Gaskins would face up to 20 years in prison.