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'One of the worst cases': Alabama man accused of girl's rape

MILLBROOK, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama man is accused of raping a 5-year-old girl, who was hospitalized and underwent surgery following the attack.

News outlets report 28-year-old Steven Sarandon Barnes was arrested over the weekend on charges including first-degree rape and chemical endangerment of a child.

Millbrook Police Chief P.K. Johnson says authorities responded Thursday to a Prattville hospital for a report of a sexually assaulted child. He says she underwent surgery, and he believed the girl was in stable condition as of Saturday.

Authorities identified Barnes as the suspect and later arrested him in the neighborhood where the attack happened.

Johnson says this is one of the worst cases he's seen in his 31 years in law enforcement. Barnes is being held on $106,000 bail. It's unclear if he has a lawyer.

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