By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

COLUMBIANA – A 54-year-old Helena man will spend the rest of his life in prison after he was sentenced on July 29 for several sex crimes that took place over a span of nine years.

Shelby County Circuit Court Judge Bill Bostick sentenced Kenneth Barry Holmes to life in prison for charges of first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy, in addition to 10 years in prison for a first-degree sexual abuse charge. Each of those sentences was the maximum and were ordered to be served consecutively to each other.

A jury returned a guilty verdict on the felony first-degree rape, felony first-degree sodomy and felony first-degree sexual abuse charges against Holmes on June 12.

Holmes previously listed an address in the 300 block of Barnett Lane in Helena, but now lists an address in Columbiana.

According to his indictment, from Jan. 1, 2003, until Jan. 1, 2012, Holmes “intentionally engaged in sexual intercourse with a female by forcible compulsion.”

“We are pleased to have sought justice for the victim in this case,” Assistant District Attorney Daniel McBrayer said. “Hopefully, the verdict and the defendant’s lengthy sentences bring her a sense of closure for this terrible chapter. We are thankful for the thorough investigation done by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.”

Additionally, Holmes was fined $5,000 for the first-degree rape and first-degree sodomy charges and $1,000 for the first-degree sexual abuse charge.