OPD makes 2 sex abuse arrests

Published 12:05 am Saturday, December 18, 2010

A traffic accident in Opp has led to the discovery of a child sexual abuse case, Opp Police Chief Nickey Carnley said Thursday.

Carnley said the accident occurred Wednesday just before midnight on Samuel Avenue.

“During the course of the investigation, it was determined that Robert E. Burke II, a passenger in the vehicle, was in possession of pornographic material involving a minor child,” he said.

As a result of the discovery, Burke, 23, was taken into custody and charged with production of obscene matter.

By Thursday, Opp investigators were able to identify the child in the photographs, Carnley said.

“After interviewing the child, Burke was charged rape and sodomy,” he said.

Burke currently remains in the Covington County Jail under a $70,000 bond, and the case remains under investigation by the Opp Police Department and the Department of Human Resources.

Burke

In a separate case, Opp officers have arrested another man Friday for allegedly sexually abusing a child.

Carnley said Thomas Eric Bush, 30, was arrested and booked into the county jail under a $200,000 bond on the charge of sexual abuse of a child under 12. Carnley said the investigation into the case began after a complaint was made by a local citizen on Dec. 10.

He said after the complaint was received, the subsequent investigation revealed the child had been sexually abused.

Due to the nature of the crime, few details were released; however, Carnley said the case remains under investigation by the Opp Police Department and the Department of Human Resources.