Huron man arrested on child molestation, sexual misconduct charges

HURON – A Huron man was arrested after a warrant was issued for his arrests on two counts of child molestation and two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor.

 Early Saturday morning Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department deputies arrested 54-year-old Barry Porter without incident.

According to a probable cause affidavit, on April 16 around  5:25 p.m., a Department of Child Services caseworker reported he had received a report from a woman that her 14-year-old daughter had been sexually abused by Porter. 

The girl was interviewed at Susie’s Place is a child advocacy center in Bloomington.  During the interview, the girl told investigators Porter had touched her sexually and she was scared to tell anyone. She told investigators the touching started two years ago in 2019.

She told investigators she didn’t stop him because she really didn’t know what was going on at the time. It wasn’t until a few months later she realized he was molesting her. She then would tell him to stop but he would just keep doing it. She was now scared to be around him because she never knew when he would touch her “it was just bad,” she said.

She said Porter would play it off like it was normal and told her not to tell anyone, but he never threatened her, just said not to tell because he would get in trouble. The minor reported he was making her feel bad.

The girl did attempt to tell her grandmother about the abuse but she “got nervous and I chickened out at the last minute”, said the minor.

She told investigators that she tried to stop him once when he was touching her and smacked his arm away, but he got real mad and took her phone and grounded her. 

Porter denied the allegations and was in shock the girl claimed he had done anything to her. “I’ve just  never touched that little girl, never,” he said. 

Porter was scheduled to take a polygraph test but on the advice of his public defender put the test on hold. 

The information was forwarded to the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office and a warrant was issued for Porter’s arrest.