A day after his client was charged with rape, an attorney for Roger Lewis Jr. said the Pickerington High School Central senior is innocent and will fight the allegations.

When asked if Lewis denies the allegations and charges against him, Neil Rosenberg, a Columbus attorney representing the Central senior, a standout football player for the school, replied, "Of course."

"If he's indicted, he will enter a 'not guilty' plea," Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg declined to discuss specifics of the case against Lewis or whether his client admits having sexual contact with his accuser, an 18-year-old woman Pickerington police have identified as an acquaintance and classmate.

"I'm not going to comment on the merits of the case because I haven't had a chance to investigate or even talk to (Lewis)," Rosenberg said. "At least as portrayed in the media, the allegations seem a little odd, with the timing of when law enforcement became aware of the allegations and the time Mr. Lewis was arrested.

"He was allowed to remain in the community for three or four weeks on rather serious allegations."

As first reported by ThisWeek, Lewis turned himself in to Pickerington police on Jan. 31 after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Police said he was allegedly driving the victim's vehicle when he was stopped for speeding in January. She was a passenger in the vehicle at the time, police said.

It was after that traffic stop that police said the woman reported Lewis raped her in December 2011 and on Jan. 6.

Following a nearly month-long investigation by the Pickerington Police Department and the Fairfield County Prosecutor's Office, Lewis was charged Jan. 31 with two counts of rape, both first-degree felonies. If convicted, the felonies each carry maximum sentences of 11 years in prison.

Rosenberg speculated that the timing of the allegations compared to Lewis' arrest might have been taken into account by visiting Judge Teresa Liston, who on Feb. 1 reduced Lewis' bond from $250,000 to $75,000 following an initial hearing in Fairfield County Municipal Court.

As of 3 p.m. Feb. 1, Lewis, 18, remained in the Fairfield County jail. Rosenberg said he expected Lewis' family to raise the $7,500 needed to bail him out of jail before the end of the day on Feb. 1.

"It's my understanding that that's in the process of occurring," he said.

Lewis had 22 catches for 450 yards and eight touchdowns, returned three kickoffs for scores and returned a punt for a touchdown for Central. He was second-team all-league and special mention all-district.

He had verbally committed to play football at Ohio State University, but on Jan. 29, PHS Central football coach Jay Sharrett told The Columbus Dispatch that Lewis did not yet have the requisite pre-enrollment test score and was exploring other options for college, including Ohio University, Marshall and Bowling Green.

According to Fairfield County Municipal Court clerk's office, Lewis is slated for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 10.

However, an official at the clerk's office said if Lewis is indicted by a Fairfield County grand jury on Feb. 3 or Feb. 10, the case is expected to be bound over to Fairfield County Common Pleas Court, which handles felony cases, and the court schedule may change.