Alachua County man charged with child abuse after refusing to put child down while deputies served warrants

BY JENNIFER CABRERA

Robert Kenneth Barton, 28, was arrested yesterday on two warrants, with charges added when he refused to put his child down while the warrants were being served.

Deputies and K-9 deputies arrived at Barton’s house last night around 6:15 p.m. to serve two active warrants, one for domestic battery and one for failure to appear at a hearing on a charge of driving with a suspended or revoked license. Deputies were informed by a person at the residence that Barton was in a rear bedroom with his 2-year-old child, and they made contact with him through the window of the bedroom.

Barton was reportedly lying in bed with the child and ignored commands to come out of the residence. After 5-7 minutes, he said he would come out after he said good-bye to his daughter, then put her down and stood up. After about a minute and a half, he picked her up and was again told to put her back down and come out of the house. He finally came out with the child in his arms. He allegedly said he brought the child out because he did not want to get bitten by the K-9s, but post Miranda, he denied having said that.

Barton was charged with child abuse and resisting without violence. Bond in the domestic battery case has been set at $105,000; bond in the driving with a suspended or revoked license case is set at $20,000.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.