A Lawrence man armed with a handgun took a woman into a basement storm shelter and made her engage in a sex act, according to testimony from the woman.

The man, Jeremy L. Farnsworth, 40, appeared in court Friday for a preliminary hearing, where the woman, 35, and another witness testified about events surrounding the July 23 incident.

Farnsworth was charged on July 25 in Douglas County District Court with one count of kidnapping and one count of aggravated criminal sodomy, both felonies.

Jeremy L. Farnsworth

The woman, who is known to Farnsworth, testified Friday that she had arranged to meet him at a park on the day of the incident to return items she had taken out of his truck. After he arrived, she said, Farnsworth pointed a gun at her and told her to get in his truck.

She said Farnsworth eventually drove her to her house to retrieve items of his, setting a timer of two minutes for her to return to the vehicle. While she was gathering the items, she said, she told a relative at the house that Farnsworth had a gun. She then returned to his vehicle.

At one point while he was driving, she said Farnsworth made a phone call and told someone to “get the cement room ready.” She said Farnsworth then took her to a storm shelter in his friend’s basement. There, she said Farnsworth asked his friend to take the dog upstairs because he “didn’t want blood on it.”

The woman said Farnsworth asked her why she stole from him and several other questions that she said she couldn’t remember. Though he didn’t always have the gun in his hand, she said at one point he put the gun to the side of her head. At another point she said he held a hammer and at other times only her phone as he looked through it. She said she engaged in a sex act with Farnsworth after he told her to.

Afterward, the woman said she and Farnsworth left the basement and got back in his truck. They were subsequently pulled over by law enforcement, which had been contacted by one of the woman’s relatives. Farnsworth’s friend also testified Friday, and said that Farnsworth and the woman were at his house and that Farnsworth asked him to keep a handgun for him when he left.

The hearing was continued until 10 a.m. on Aug. 29, when a third witness is scheduled to be called. At the conclusion of the preliminary hearing, District Judge Sally Pokorny will determine whether there is enough evidence to order a trial in the case.

Farnsworth is being represented by defense attorney F. Lowry. The prosecutor in the case is Mark Simpson.

Farnsworth is currently being held in the Douglas County Jail on a $40,000 bond.