BLADEN COUNTY — A Harrells man has been arrested on multiple charges following a report of sexual abuse, according to the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say 41-year-old Joshua Poe Hatfield was taken into custody on Sept. 2 and charged with: felony statutory sex offense with a child by an adult, felony statutory rape of a child by an adult and misdemeanor sexual battery.

The investigation began when Bladen County 911 received a request from the Department of Social Services to assist with a reported case of sexual abuse. The Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division responded and interviewed a 17-year-old who disclosed that a family member had allegedly been sexually abusing them intermittently over the past four years, most recently a couple of months ago.

As part of p

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