CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – A man is now behind bars after allegedly evading law enforcement in connection to a sexual assault investigation involving a minor.

According to the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, Brandon Adkins, 38, of Charleston, was arrested Nov. 11, 2023, on a charge of “sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or person of trust to a child.”

Deputies say the investigation began in July 2021 after a 16-year-old reported to a local hospital that she had been sexually abused. Deputies say Adkins knew the girl’s family, and she had been in his care the night of the alleged attack.

According to the KCSO, the West Virginia State Police Crime Lab notified deputies that DNA had been found in the sample from the victim, and requested a DNA sample from Adkins to compare with that DNA.

The sheriff’s office said Adkins avoided authorities for more than a year, but was recently arrested on an unrelated charge. While he was in jail, authorities executed a search warrant for his DNA. The crime lab then confirmed the two DNA samples to be a match, the KCSO says.

Adkins was then arrested on the sexual abuse charge. He is currently in the South Central Regional Jail on a $15,000 bond.