Champion bodybuilder turns himself in on Utah rape charges
Jul 24, 2019, 5:50 PM
This photo provided by the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office shows Shawn Rhoden. Rhoden, a champion bodybuilder faces felony charges accusing him of raping a female bodybuilder in a Salt Lake City suburb last October. Court records indicate that Rhoden appeared in court Tuesday, July 23, 2019, in a Salt Lake City suburb and had his bail lowered to $250,000 before being sent to jail. An arrest warrant issued July 11 had set his bail at $750,000. (Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, via AP)
(Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, via AP)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A champion bodybuilder accused of raping a woman has turned himself in after an arrest warrant was issued earlier this month.
This photo provided by the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office shows Shawn Rhoden. Rhoden, a champion bodybuilder faces felony charges accusing him of raping a female bodybuilder in a Salt Lake City suburb last October. Court records indicate that Rhoden appeared in court Tuesday, July 23, 2019, in a Salt Lake City suburb and had his bail lowered to $250,000 before being sent to jail. An arrest warrant issued July 11 had set his bail at $750,000. (Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, via AP)He remained behind bars Tuesday afternoon. His bail was lowered to $250,000, down from $750,000 in the July 11 arrest warrant.
The 2018 winner of the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding competition in Nevada is charged with rape and forcible sexual abuse of a woman who regarded Rhoden as her “body-building mentor” in a Utah hotel room on Oct. 12.
A judge ordered the 44-year-old from Santa Barbara, California, not to have contact with the woman.
Rhoden’s attorney, Lawrence Sleight, didn’t immediately return a phone call.
