Man charged with statutory rape of 13-year-old he met on Instagram

A Statesville man has been charged with the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl who he met on Instagram, the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.

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The case was first reported to deputies on July 9.

The victim told deputies the suspect, Deshon Remon Barber, was someone she had met on Instagram. Investigators discovered Barber had been chatting online with the girl for several weeks.

Detectives arrested Barber on Friday on two felony charges of statutory rape of a person who is 15 years of age or younger.

A judge gave Barber a $150,000 bond. He has two previous convictions of resisting public officer, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office said it’s an important reminder to talk about safety online.

“A discussion with your kids about the dangers of the internet, and it won’t hit them like it would an adult because kids don’t think that, you know, things can happen to them. Or they don’t believe what you might be saying,” Det. Sgt. Patrick Dixson said.

The Iredell County Sheriff’s Office also does internet safety presentations for families. Their resource officers do them in schools a few times a year.

If you’d like to do a safety presentation now with your teen, you can call the sheriff’s office.

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