DARLINGTON — An attempt to lower bond for a man convicted of sexual relations with a minor was unsuccessful during a hearing July 14 in Lafayette County Court.

The man is one of several caught up in what Police Chief Jason King has described in published reports as a small group of men in the area who were molesting a small group children.

Indeed, police have said that Ruben Hernandez-Alarcon, 24, was arrested following a lengthy investigation into the alleged sexual contact between adult men in Darlington and young, school-aged girls.

Hernandez-Alarcon faces a felony charge of repeated sexual assaults of the same child, with at least three violations of first-degree sexual assault included. According to court records, Circuit Judge Duane Jorgensen denied a defense attorney’s recent request for a lower bond. 

Earlier, bond for Hernandez-Alarcon was set at $25,000.

King has said five men have been arrested and formally charged in the investigation. A conviction on the repeated child sexual assault charge can result in a maximum prison sentence of 40 years to life in prison. 

A status conference in the case is set for 11 a.m. Sept. 7 in Lafayette County.