Chris Jones pleads not guilty to rape, sodomy charges

Former Louisville guard Chris Jones pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges alleging that he raped one woman and sodomized another.

Jones, who earlier in the day had turned himself in, entered his plea while appearing before Judge Sheila Collins in Jefferson District Court in Louisville. He was released to home incarceration.

Jones’ attorney, Scott Cox, said his client has been falsely accused and is cooperating with the police investigation. Jones, 23, was dismissed from Louisville’s basketball team Sunday.

According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, the arrest warrant for Jones states that the incident under investigation occurred Saturday night, and that one of the alleged victims identified him after she was hospitalized Sunday. The warrant lists the victims ages as 19 and 20.

Jones played his last game Saturday in Louisville’s 55-53 win over Miami.

Louisville Coach Rick Pitino offered no explanation for Jones being kicked off the team, telling reporters Sunday only that “he’s finished.”

This isn’t Jones’ first run-in with authorities. He told a Louisville student in a text message he would smack her after she “messed up” his room, according to a campus police report filed on Feb. 17. The woman did not want Jones prosecuted, and she was not involved with Saturday’s alleged incidents, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported.

Jones was suspended one game on Feb. 18 for “violating team rules.”

He was Louisville’s third-leading scorer, averaging 13.6 points per game. The senior had a team-best 94 assists.

Cox said Jones has stopped taking classes at Louisville and is living off the campus.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.