The Kenai Police Department arrested a Kenai man last week after they say he sexually abused a child at a local, in-home daycare center over about 5 years.
Thirty-three-year-old Jeremiah John Barton was charged with seven felony counts of second degree sexual abuse of a minor for actions police believe occurred from roughly 2007 to 2013. The Kenai Police Department first looked into the case in 2022 after receiving a report of the abuse from the Office of Children’s Services.
A court filing written by the Kenai Police Department’s investigating officer outlines key details from interviews with Barton and his mother, who ran a daycare out of her home in Kenai. It’s unclear if she’s still involved in the child care industry today.
Barton’s mother confirmed to police that the child, now 18 years old, was in her care.
Police say the daycare center had no employees, but Barton would periodically babysit.
The girl, who the investigator only identified by her initials and gender, told police investigators in Idaho, where she now lives, that on multiple occasions, Barton took off her clothes and would massage her entire body. She reaffirmed these allegations with the Kenai Police Department in 2024.
Police monitored a conversation in December between Barton and the girl. In it, Barton said he rubbed lotion on her to treat a skin rash.
The girl’s mother told police that her daughter never had skin issues, provided childhood photos that don’t show skin issues, and never gave Barton permission to put lotion on her. In subsequent interviews, other caregivers also told police she did not have a noticeable skin condition.
In an interview with the investigating officer, Barton admitted to rubbing cocoa butter on the girl’s genitals for a period of five years. Barton admitted that it wasn’t to treat the girl’s skin, but claimed it was to practice massage and learn the human body. Police say Barton also admitted to excusing himself after some “massages” to sexually satisfy himself.
The girl’s mother told the investigating officer that the alleged abuse could have occurred when the girl was between the ages of 1 and 6 years old. The investigating officer estimates that Barton may have been between the ages of 16 and 23 when the alleged abuse occurred.
An attorney representing Barton could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Barton’s next court appearance is Friday morning at the Kenai Courthouse.
This story was updated at 7:15 p.m. on March 27 to include Barton's age when the alleged abuse occurred.
