A Sanford man was found guilty of sex crimes against a child last month in Mebane.
The News of Orange reported on July 31 that John Barnhart, 56, was convicted July 29 in Alamance County Superior Court of taking indecent liberties with a child and sentenced to six months in prison. Upon release, he will be required to register as a sex offender for 30 years and undergo 36 months of mental evaluation and supervised probation.
The conviction stems from a July 2021 arrest by the Mebane Police Department.
At the time of the arrest, Barnhart was, according to the News of Orange report, facing multiple charges of assault on a female and sexual battery stemming from a 2018 arrest. He was acquitted of those charges in December of 2021. The report details a history of similar charges going back more than 20 years:
Barnhart’s past record includes multiple charges of Lewd or Lascivious Molestation in 2000, and a conviction of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Minor in 2002, all in the state of Florida. He was sentenced to probation. In 2004, Barnhart was found guilty of violating state probation.
In Mebane, Barnhart was a real estate agent and active in business and community groups, including involvement with the Interact Club at Eastern Alamance High School. He now resides in Lee County.
It’s unclear how long Barnhart has lived in Lee County. According to voter and GIS records, he registered to vote here in 2022, and purchased a home on Pioneer Drive in 2023.
