Kaylee Simons
Elmore Autauga News
A Montgomery man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to the rape of a 5-year-old girl in Elmore County, bringing to a close a case that began with his arrest more than seven years ago.
Steven Barnes, 35, pleaded guilty to first-degree rape during jury selection in May. On May 26, Circuit Judge Patrick Pinkston sentenced Barnes to serve 40 years in the Alabama Department of Corrections followed by 10 years of supervised probation.
Barnes has remained in custody since his arrest in April 2019.
According to the 19th Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, Barnes was dating the victim’s mother and was staying in the family’s home at the time of the assault. Prosecutors said the child’s mother had fallen asleep, leaving the 5-year-old alone with Barnes when the assault occurred.
The child was transported to Children’s Hospital of Alabama, where she underwent surgery for injuries sustained during the attack.
Barnes was originally charged with first-degree rape, aggravated child abuse, chemical endangerment of a child and first-degree possession of marijuana. He ultimately pleaded guilty to first-degree rape as part of a plea agreement reached before the trial began.
District Attorney C.J. Robinson said the decision to resolve the case through a plea agreement came only after extensive discussions with the victim’s family and law enforcement.
“It is important to know that this wasn’t an easy decision to make, and we did not make the decision until after extensive conversation with the victim’s family,” Assistant District Attorney Mandy Johnson said on behalf of the District Attorney’s Office.
Robinson previously said the agreement was made to spare the victim from having to testify at trial.
“This was a difficult decision for us to enter into this plea agreement for Barnes to serve 40 years,” Robinson said. “After extensive communications with the victim’s family and the Millbrook Police Department, together we made the decision to protect her from ever having to enter the same room with her offender again.”
Johnson states that the Alabama Department of Corrections considers a life sentence to be 35 years, making Barnes’ 40-year sentence longer than that benchmark.
Johnson also said Barnes was deemed mentally incompetent for a period following his arrest, delaying the case before it ultimately proceeded to trial. According to courtroom reports, Barnes had four prior felony convictions before this case. Had he proceeded to trial and been convicted, he faced a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole under Alabama’s habitual felony offender law.
With the sentence now imposed, Barnes will remain in prison until approximately age 68 before beginning his 10-year term of supervised probation.
