An Alabama woman has been accused of horrific crimes involving a 6-year-old child who police said she had access to through a family friendship.
Abigail Roberts is facing more than 100 separate criminal counts in Franklin County, where she was arrested late Sunday, April 12.
The Tharptown woman, 22, became the subject of an investigation recently, after a 6-year-old reported being sexually assaulted by the woman.
According to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, the child allegedly identified her abuser as a family friend: namely, Roberts. The child allegedly told police that Roberts touched her inappropriately.
Deputies then brought Roberts in for questioning, and she allegedly admitted to the abuse when confronted, police explained.
According to authorities, Roberts also allegedly confessed to having images and videos on her phone of the little girl.
After obtaining a search warrant for the phone, investigators combed through the contents and found 30 images of child pornography on the device.
Police claim Roberts sent the illicit images to another unspecified person.
Sgt. Kyle Palmer from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office said authorities are still trying to figure out who exactly Roberts was allegedly sending these profane files to, reported WAFF.
Police emphasized the case remains under investigation and authorities said they believe additional charges could be filed shortly.
It was unclear when and where Roberts’ alleged crimes unfolded.
For now, Roberts is charged with 11 counts of sexual abuse of a child less than 12, three counts of sodomy, one count of enticing a child to enter a room for immoral purposes, 30 counts of dissemination of child pornography, 30 counts of possession of child pornography, 30 counts of production of child pornography, and one count of directing a child to engage in a sexual act.”
The sheriff’s office confirmed that Roberts has yet to enter pleas to the charges, and information regarding her defense lawyer was unavailable.
An Aniah’s Law hearing happened this week for Roberts.
Mandated in 2022, the law named after Aniah Blanchard allows judges to deny bail for defendants charged with serious violent offenses if no conditions can reasonably ensure public safety or the defendant’s next court appearance.
The hearing assesses whether sufficient evidence exists to justify pre-trial detention and was written to prevent potentially dangerous individuals from being released while awaiting trial.
If you know of a young person who is being exploited or is the victim of a crime, you are urged to report it to your local FBI field office by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be left at tips.fbi.gov
