A Spring City man was arrested Friday afternoon and charged with raping a woman in the Oak Hill area.

The 37-year-old woman, who lives alone in a mobile home, called 911 early Friday morning to report the attack.

Deputy Wayne Cox with the Rhea County Sheriff's Department answered the call. He drove the woman to Rhea Medical Center for treatment and the collection of evidence.

Cox then contacted Rocky Potter, who investigates sexual crimes for the sheriff's department.

The woman told Potter that an acquaintance showed up at her door at about 2 a.m. that morning. She said she opened the door to find out what he wanted, and he pushed the door open, knocking her backwards. Her assailant then forced her into the bedroom and raped her, according to Potter.

She told both Cox and Potter that the man threatened to kill her or blow up her home if she told anyone about the attack.

Potter located the man she named as her attacker, Barry Ray, 39, of Gene Street in Spring City.

Although Ray denied raping the woman, Potter said that parts of his story were consistent with the victim's.

Because of the threats to the woman's safety, Potter arrested Ray for rape.

Rhea County General Sessions Court Judge Jim McKenzie ordered Ray held without bond until his arraignment on Thursday.

Ray has a lengthy criminal history, according to Potter, and has been convicted of driving under the influence of an intoxicant, passing bad checks, driving on a revoked license, evading arrest, leaving the scene of an accident and disorderly conduct.

Evidence collected at the hospital and from the victim's home has been sent to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation's forensic laboratory in Nashville, Potter said.

John Carpenter can be reached at jcarpenter@xtn.net.