DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN) — A 40-year-old Slocomb man accused of raping a juvenile family member over several years is now facing additional charges.
Robert Lee Whitsette Jr. was arrested in September and charged with four counts of Rape and Incest with a Minor.
According to Dothan Police, after a continued investigation, on Monday, November 13, Whitsette Jr. was charged with an additional six counts of Rape in the First Degree, three counts of Sodomy in the first degree, one count of Sexual Torture, and six counts of Incest.
Police say they opened an investigation on Whissette in early August after receiving reports of sex crimes against a juvenile.
After Whitsette Jr.’s initial arrest, he faced a $1,600,000 bond, but his defense requested a reduction.
During a bond hearing on Thursday, September 28, a Dothan Police Criminal Investigator testified that in July, a juvenile female relative of Whissette gave birth to a baby with multiple defects, and a DNA test revealed that Whissette was the baby’s father and not the victim’s boyfriend.
According to the investigator, Whissette raped the juvenile relative several times over the past four or five years.
During the September hearing, Whissette’s defense team asked why the crimes had not been reported if they had occurred several times over the past few years.
Houston County Judge Benjamin Lewis denied a bond reduction.
With the new charges, Whitsette Jr. now faces a $4,800,000 bond.
