A 37-year-old St. Joseph man appeared before a judge Tuesday on a charge of statutory sodomy.

Jack Donahoe appeared via video before Associate Judge Rebecca Spencer.

Judge Spencer entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf, and scheduled the case for the preliminary hearing docket january 26.

As we reported, officials accuse Jack Donahoe of making sexual contact with a girl under the age of 14 for the purpose of sexual gratification. In court documents, Detective Dustin Robinson of the St. Joseph Police Department asserts that Donahoe has failed to appear on a past charge of shoplifting. and was a suspect in other crimes. Bail was set at $50,000 cash.

Donahoe told the judge he would apply for a public defender. He remains in custody in the Buchanan County Jail.