Bluffton man charged with incest, criminal sexual conduct with a minor

A Bluffton man has been charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor under the age of 11 and incest following an investigation that began in May.

John Haltom, 56, was booked into jail on the charges around 6 a.m. on Wednesday, according to Beaufort County Detention Center records. He was arrested around 1:20 p.m. Tuesday at the Hilton Head Island Walmart, according to Capt. Bob Bromage of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

Haltom’s arrest came as the result of a combined effort from the Sheriff’s Office and the Bluffton Police Department.

The investigation into Haltom’s alleged actions began on May 9 when the Bluffton Police Department responded to a report of child abuse. According to the initial police report, the alleged incidents happened between Jan. 1 of 2010, through Aug. 1, 2016.

The report is heavily redacted and does not give a location.

However, the person who made the report told an officer that the child had shared that he or she had been touched by Haltom in the past. The caller told the officer that they believed the touching happened more than once.

The report said that Haltom normally touched the victim when he drank alcohol and that the incidents “happened at unknown times and locations in the past.”

According to Joy Nelson, spokesperson for the Bluffton department, the report sparked an investigation into Haltom’s actions. Nelson declined to release further details due to the ongoing investigation.

Earlier this month, the police department obtained arrest warrants for Haltom, Bromage said, and the Sheriff’s Office assisted Bluffton police in his arrest on Hilton Head.

As of Friday morning, Haltom remained in custody at the detention center without bond.

This story was originally published August 25, 2017 at 9:10 AM with the headline "Bluffton man charged with incest, criminal sexual conduct with a minor."