According to Roanoke Rapids police, two people have been arrested for sexual battery of a child

ROANOKE RAPIDS, N.C. (WNCN) – Two men who still have outstanding warrants for statutory sex offenses against the same child have been arrested, Roanoke Rapids police said Thursday.

Investigators had previously asked the public to help find the two men. They said police had been looking for them since an initial report was filed in March, which led to an “extensive investigation.”

They said the investigation involved Child Protective Services from the Halifax County Department of Social Services and school counselors from the Roanoke Rapids Graded School District, as well as police.

Police said the investigation revealed that 39-year-old Steven Wayne Bedgood of Roanoke Rapids is accused of committing a sexual offense against a child in 2017. The child was four years old at the time of the incident. Bedgood was the boyfriend of the victim’s mother at the time.

The investigation also revealed that 53-year-old Joseph Robert “Bobby Jo” Liles of Littleton is also charged with committing a statutory sexual offense with the child in 2023, when the child was 10 years old. According to police, Liles is a former friend of the victim’s family.

According to police, both men were arrested on Wednesday after police asked the public for help in finding them.

Bedgood was arrested in Buncombe County around 4:30 p.m. after Halifax County Crime Stoppers received several tips that he worked there. He was issued a $500,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.

Liles was arrested after turning himself in around 2 p.m. He was also ordered to pay $500,000 and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.