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Christian Barbee, 35, of St. James Avenue in Springfield, was arrested at around 12:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12, at the intersection of Buckingham Place and Buckingham Street in Springfield, police said.
An investigation by the Springfield Police allegedly revealed that Barbee had sexually assaulted two underage victims in the fall of 2020, police said.
Barbee was out on bail for the rape of a child with force and other similar charges filed in 2019, police said.
On Wednesday, Jan. 13, Springfield Police said Barbee has been charged with rape, kidnapping, witness intimidation, and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over.
Barbee has a history of being accused of sexual assault among other crimes.
In 2019, Barbee, who was using the name Christian Rich, pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, aggravated rape, rape of a child with force, and aggravated statutory rape of a child, according to MassLive. The charges stem from Barbee’s alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl who had responded to a Facebook ad he placed seeking girls to purchase iPhones for resale.
In 2018, he was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and threatening to commit a crime.
In 2013, Barbee was sentenced to 2-4 years in state prison for escaping from a penal institution among other charges.
In 2008, Barbee was given a 30-month jail term after he pled guilty to breaking and entering in the daytime and intimidating a witness. Kidnapping charges were dropped as part of a plea deal.
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