Nov. 30 – A Sanford man who previously lived in Mebane, east of Burlington, was charged in Lee County with indecent liberties, a misdemeanor.
John Francis Barnhart, 57, was arrested on Nov. 20 and posted a $150,000 bond the next day when his wife, Cassandra Barnhart, listed real estate, according to eCourts.
Barnhart was convicted of indecent liberties in Alamance County after a jury trial in July. He then appealed this 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 prison within three years. He was also ordered to pay $375 in court costs and register as a sex offender. He was given credit for one day in jail.
The dates of the offenses in the Alamance County case ranged from November 25, 2016 to October 1, 2018.
The alleged violation date in the Lee County case is October 20, 2023.
According to court documents, the victim in the Alamance County case and the alleged victim in the Lee County case were both under the age of 16.
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 assault and two counts of assault on a woman in Alamance County as of Oct. 6, 2018. These three charges were dismissed on Jan. 8, 2020, because the prosecutor was unable to locate the victim. Barnhart was found not guilty by a judge on a separate charge of assaulting a woman dating back to October 6, 2018.
According to a court document from the Alamance County case in which he was found guilty, Barnhart said he was unemployed and dependent on his wife’s income.
His criminal record includes convictions for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, aggravated assault and failure to appear, all from Florida, ranging from 2000 to 2022.
Barnhart was also convicted in 1996 of theft of property under $500 in Texas.
