COLUMBIANA – The date for a trial has been set for Columbiana man who was charged of two counts of rape in the first degree and one count of possession of a controlled substance.

The trial of Curtis Evanda Washington, 27, who lists an address on Buie Road, is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 12, 2018. He is set to appear in court on Jan. 8, 2018 for a pre-trial docket call and again on Jan. 30, 2018, for his plea date.

Washington was initially arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance by the Columbiana Police Department on Oct. 21, 2015. He later received three first-degree rape charges from the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office two days later. However, one of the rape charges was no-billed by a grand jury.

Court documents allege that Washington was discovered in possession of alprazolam on Mildred Street in Columbiana on Oct. 21, 2015. His two first-degree rape charges stem from incidents on Dec. 1, 2012, when he allegedly “engaged in sexual intercourse with a member of the opposite sex by forcible compulsion.”

First-degree rape is a Class A felony. If convicted, Washington could face life in prison. Possession of a controlled substance is a Class C felony, which can carry a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

Washington was indicted on the rape charges in May 2016 and later indicted on the controlled substance charge in December 2016. After his case was bound over to a grand jury in March 2016, his case was assigned to Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Lara M. Alvis. He has remained at the Shelby County Jail since his Oct. 2015 arrest.