photo by: Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Nicholas J. Lewis

A 23-year-old man has been arrested on charges that he raped an incapacitated person last year.

Nicholas J. Lewis, of Lawrence, was booked into jail on the charges over the weekend, jail records indicate.

He’s charged with one count of rape, a felony, in connection with an incident that occurred in early May 2018, according to a complaint filed in late November in Douglas County District Court.

Charges allege that Lewis raped a 19-year-old who was unable to consent because of either mental deficiency or the effect of alcohol or drugs. The complaint includes two alternative charges, also felonies: aggravated sexual battery of a person who is unconscious or physically powerless; or aggravated sexual battery of a person who is unable to consent because of mental deficiency or the effect of alcohol or drugs.

Court and jail records indicate that Lewis was released on $15,000 bond and ordered to appear in court March 26.

A report associated with the incident was made to Lawrence police four days after the alleged incident, according to the department’s activity logs. A police spokesman on Monday declined to release information about the report because it is a sex crime and the case has already been sent to the district attorney’s office, Officer Derrick Smith said.