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Man Charged In Cold Rape Case Released On Reduced Bond

CHARLOTTE, N.C.,None — A man accused of raping a pregnant woman has been released from jail, causing some local investigators to say the system failed.

Roger Honeycutt, who is a registered sex offender, is charged with burglary, rape and sexual offense. Police said he raped a pregnant woman in Charlotte in 1981. Cold case detectives tracked him down and arrested him on Oct. 18 of this year.

Honeycutt was released from jail on bond on Friday and is back at his home in Kannapolis.

"I was shocked," said retired Sgt. Darrell Price, who returned to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department to work in the Cold Case Unit. He was involved in Honeycutt's case and said he and other detectives are frustrated.

"Obviously, we have to contact our victim in this case and let her know that our system has completely failed in an attempt to keep a dangerous sexual predator behind bars," he said.

After his arrest, Honeycutt's bond was set at $150,000. Eyewitness News discovered that on Friday, Judge Reagan Miller reduced it to $5,000 and also waved the options of electronically monitoring Honeycutt and setting a curfew for him.

Detectives said they are looking into the possibility of another bond hearing.

Eyewitness News contacted Miller and Honeycutt's attorney, William Soukup. Both declined to comment on the case.