Montgomery man pleads guilty in Elmore County rape case, gets 40 years

Steven Barnes, 35, of Montgomery, pleaded guilty Monday in Elmore County Circuit Court and agreed to serve 40 years in prison for first-degree rape, ending the case just as jury selection was set to begin. Barnes, also identified in earlier coverage as Steven Sarandon Barnes, had been held in the Elmore County Jail since his 2019 arrest.

The plea resolved a case that began in April 2019, when Barnes was charged with rape and three additional felony counts. His original $10 million cash bond was described at the time as one of the largest in Elmore County history, underscoring how seriously investigators and prosecutors viewed the allegations from the start.

Authorities said the victim was a 5-year-old girl who was living in the home where Barnes was staying because her mother was dating him. Prosecutors said the mother was asleep when the assault occurred. The child was found injured and taken from Prattville Baptist Hospital to Children’s Hospital in Birmingham, where she underwent surgery because of the severity of the trauma.

District Attorney C.J. Robinson said the plea agreement came only after extensive communication with the victim’s family and the Millbrook Police Department. He said the deal was intended to spare the child from ever having to face Barnes in a courtroom. Robinson also credited Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center for helping the family through the healing process.

Millbrook Police Chief P.K. Johnson had called the case one of the worst he had seen in 31 years in law enforcement, a reaction that reflected the gravity of the allegations and the strain the investigation placed on local officers. The case drew attention across the region because it moved through a nearby court system, involved Millbrook police, and routed the child’s emergency care through Prattville before surgery in Birmingham.

Barnes is scheduled to be formally sentenced on May 26, 2026. The 40-year term means the case will remain a touchstone for how Elmore County handles the most serious child-sex-crime prosecutions, with consequences felt well beyond the courtroom.