Sanford man charged with indecent liberties; convicted of same offense in

Nov. 30—A Sanford man who previously lived in Mebane east of Burlington was charged in Lee County with indecent liberties, a felony.

John Francis Barnhart, 57, was arrested Nov. 20 and posted a $150,000 bond the next day when his wife, Cassandra Barnhart, put up real property, according to eCourts.

Barnhart was convicted of indecent liberties in Alamance County following a jury trial in July. He subsequently appealed that decision on July 29.

Judge Andrew Hanford sentenced Barnhart to 19 to 32 months in the North Carolina Department of Corrections and ordered him to serve six months in jail within three years. He was also ordered to pay $375 in court costs and to register as a sex offender. He was given credit for a day in jail.

The offense dates for the Alamance County case ranged from Nov. 25, 2016 to Oct. 1, 2018.

The alleged offense date in the Lee County case is Oct. 20, 2023.

The victim in the Alamance County case and the alleged victim in the Lee County case were both younger than 16, according to court documents.

There was also an alleged third victim, according to a court document in the Alamance County case.

According to eCourts, Barnhart was also charged with sexual battery and two counts of assault on a female in Alamance County stemming from Oct. 6, 2018. Those three charges were dismissed on Jan. 8, 2020 because the prosecution could not locate the victim. Barnhart was found not guilty by a judge for a separate charge of assault on a female stemming from Oct. 6, 2018.

According to a court document from the Alamance County case in which he was found guilty, Barnhart said he was unemployed and relied on his wife’s income.

His criminal record includes convictions for contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile, aggravated assault and failure to appear, all from Florida, ranging from 2000 to 2022.

Barnhart also was convicted of property theft of less than $500 in Texas in 1996.

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