Gadsden man changes plea in sodomy trial

Jairo Uriel Pal

A defendant charged with four counts of first-degree sodomy in Etowah County changed his plea to guilty during the middle of his trial before Circuit Judge William Ogletree.  25 year old Jairo Uriel Pal,  pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree sodomy.  The plea came before the beginning of the second day of testimony. Opening statements and the testimony of three prosecution witnesses had been heard last week.  Pal’s arrest and guilty plea followed an investigation by the Gadsden Police Department into the allegations arising from the sexual abuse of a child.The abuse took place during a two-year period beginning when the child was 4 years old.