A 54-year-old Spartanburg County man is facing more than a dozen criminal charges, including kidnapping, multiple counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor, and exposing another person to the HIV virus, after investigators say he coerced a juvenile into leaving home, then drugged and sexually assaulted the child.
The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office arrested Robert Eugene Hall on Thursday, April 23, following a traffic stop that led to the safe recovery of the juvenile.
According to investigators, Hall had made contact with the juvenile through a messaging application and allegedly used those communications to persuade the child to leave the family residence. Family members discovered the juvenile was missing, located a vehicle they believed the juvenile had entered, and provided that vehicle information to law enforcement. Deputies conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and found Hall driving with the juvenile in the car.
The juvenile was transported to a nearby hospital for medical evaluation. Lt. Graham McLellan with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office described the child as visibly shaken and showing signs of having been exposed to an intoxicant. The juvenile was subsequently reunited with family members.
As investigators continued gathering information, the Special Victims Unit took over the case. Their findings led to a determination that Hall had allegedly both drugged and sexually assaulted the juvenile during the time they were together.
Hall faces the following charges: kidnapping; contributing to the delinquency of a minor (two counts); criminal sexual conduct with a minor in the second degree (three counts); criminal sexual conduct with a minor in the third degree (three counts); cruelty to children; possession of methamphetamine (first offense); unlawful manufacture of methamphetamine in the presence of a minor child; and exposing another person to the HIV virus.
Hall is being held without bond at the Spartanburg County Detention Facility. Investigators said the circumstances of the offense suggest prior planning and that there may be additional victims. Anyone with information about Hall or who believes they may have been victimized is asked to contact Investigator T. Hill at (864) 503-4579 or [email protected].
