Marble – A local man who became the subject of a social media firestorm last month is facing incestuous rape charges.
Robert Eugene Barnhill, 46, is accused of raping his own child, who was 17 years old at the time of the alleged offense.
Accusations of the sexual assault caused a public outcry in early September, after an alleged admission of the act appeared on Barnhill’s Facebook page. The social media post motivated some residents to drive to Barnhill’s property armed with weapons and demand justice.
Officials are still investigating whether Barnhill indeed created the post himself and publicly admitted to incest.
Authorities had been investigating Barnhill for months prior to the social media post. In May, the Cherokee County Department of Social Services received a complaint against Barnhill and passed the information to law enforcement officials.
To date, police have examined several electronic devices and social media content, including comments posted to Barnhill’s account and videos shared on his daughter’s Facebook page. Officials say the investigation remains ongoing and could result in additional charges.
On Sept. 28, the case was presented to a Cherokee County grand jury, which charged Barnhill with four felonies: incest, indecent liberties with a child, forcible rape and forcible sex offense. He is also charged with possession of meth-amphetamine.
A judge set a $250,000 secured bond on the sexual assault charges and $5,000 secured bond on the drug charge. Barnhill is scheduled to appear in Cherokee County Superior Court on Monday, Dec. 14. HAVEN Children’s Advocacy Center and the Clay County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the investigation.