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Sanford, Lee County

Sanford: Two Lee County men charged with child sex crimes, SBI says

The SBI announced the arrests with the sheriff's office and Sanford police. WRAL and the Sanford Herald independently named Barney Layton Bunnell, 75, and Brandon Mitchell Carter, 36. The two papers list different counts for Carter.

UpdatedThis story has changed since it was first published.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published · Updated

A downtown street in Sanford, N.C.

File photo: Indy beetle (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, in a Wednesday night post, said it had arrested two Lee County men on child sex crime charges, working with the Lee County Sheriff's Office and the Sanford Police Department.Confirmed by N.C. State Bureau of Investigation official post, Oct. 28, 2026, 9:43 p.m. Eastern
  • WRAL, writing Thursday morning from that announcement, named the men as Barney Layton Bunnell, 75, and Brandon Mitchell Carter, 36.Confirmed by WRAL (posted 2:48 a.m. Eastern Oct. 29, 2026)
  • The Sanford Herald, in a Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, account that cited a news release from the bureau, independently named Bunnell, 75, and Carter, 36.Confirmed by The Sanford Herald (Oct. 30, 2026)
  • WRAL wrote that Bunnell is charged with felony statutory sex abuse and three felony counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. The Herald printed the same Bunnell list.Confirmed by WRAL (Oct. 29, 2026); The Sanford Herald (Oct. 30, 2026)
  • WRAL wrote that Carter is charged with felony indecent liberties with a minor and secret peeping.Confirmed by WRAL, citing the State Bureau of Investigation
  • The Herald wrote that Carter is charged with felony sexual exploitation of a minor and secret peeping. That is not the same first count WRAL printed.Confirmed by The Sanford Herald (Oct. 30, 2026)
  • WRAL wrote that both men were in jail Wednesday at the Lee County Detention Center without bond and were expected to appear in court on Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026.Confirmed by WRAL, Oct. 29, 2026
  • The Herald wrote that Carter is being held at that jail without bond, with a first court appearance scheduled for Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. It did not print a result from that setting, and it did not say what happened on Thursday.Confirmed by The Sanford Herald (Oct. 30, 2026)
  • The Herald, citing the bureau, wrote that the investigations began after tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, that both inquiries remain open, and that the bureau asked anyone with more information to call 919-662-4500. Those lines are not on the truncated official post we fetched and are not on WRAL's page.Confirmed by The Sanford Herald only (Oct. 30, 2026), citing a bureau news release
  • The bureau's public news-release list, checked again Friday midday, still did not show a matching written release. The Herald's Oct. 29 police beat had not named these bookings.Confirmed by ncsbi.gov news-release list, fetched Oct. 30, 2026; Sanford Herald police beat, Oct. 29, 2026

Alleged or reported

  • Bunnell committed felony statutory sex abuse and first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor.charges listed by WRAL and the Sanford Herald from the State Bureau of Investigation announcement. A charge is an accusation; Bunnell is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court
  • Carter committed felony indecent liberties with a minor and secret peeping.charges listed by WRAL from the State Bureau of Investigation announcement. The Sanford Herald listed felony sexual exploitation of a minor and secret peeping instead. A charge is an accusation; Carter is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court

Still unknown

  • Which Carter charge list is on the charging paper. WRAL printed indecent liberties. The Herald printed sexual exploitation
  • Whether Thursday's expected first appearance happened, and what a judge did
  • Whether Friday's expected setting for Carter happened, and what a judge did
  • Whether the two arrests are one case or two. The bureau announced them together. Both papers listed separate charge lists
  • A written SBI, sheriff's office, or Sanford police release we can read on those agencies' sites
  • Whether either man has a lawyer
  • The ages of any children named in the charging papers. This file does not name a child

What this means for you

Public safety
A charge is an accusation. Both men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. This story is not an official or emergency notice. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.

Instructions from N.C. State Bureau of Investigation official post; WRAL; The Sanford Herald

This site is not the State Bureau of Investigation, the Lee County Sheriff's Office, or the Sanford Police Department. For the bureau's written notices, use ncsbi.gov. To report suspected child abuse that is not an emergency, contact your county department of social services. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Lee County, the State Bureau of Investigation said Wednesday night that it had arrested two local men on child sex crime charges.

That post said the bureau worked with the county sheriff's office and the Sanford Police Department. The opening lines we could read omitted the names.

WRAL, posted at 2:48 a.m. Thursday, independently named Barney Layton Bunnell, 75, and Brandon Mitchell Carter, 36, and listed a separate set of counts for each man.

The Sanford Herald, posted Friday and citing a bureau news release, independently used those same names and ages.

The charge lists

For Bunnell, WRAL listed felony statutory sex abuse and three felony counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor. Friday's Herald account printed that same Bunnell list.

For Carter, Thursday's station page listed felony indecent liberties with a minor plus secret peeping. The paper listed felony sexual exploitation of a minor plus secret peeping. The two first counts do not match, so neither is treated here as settled.

A charge is an accusation. Each man is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. No public statement from either defendant, or from a lawyer for them, has turned up.

Jail and court dates

WRAL wrote that both men were in the county jail on Wednesday with no bond set and were expected in court Thursday.

The Herald said Carter remains there with no bond set and that his first appearance was scheduled for Friday. That account skipped whether Thursday's setting happened and skipped a Friday result.

What the Herald added from the bureau

Citing a news release, the paper said the work started after tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, that both inquiries remain open, and that the bureau asked people with more information to call 919-662-4500.

Those three lines are missing from the truncated official post we fetched. WRAL's page also omitted them. They stay attributed to the Herald.

The bureau announced both arrests in one notice. The bookings are kept on separate lists here. No child is named.

The SBI's public release list, checked again Friday midday, still had no matching written notice.

Triangle Local is not the SBI, the sheriff's office, or Sanford police. If a child is in danger, call 911. To report suspected abuse that is not an emergency, contact your county department of social services.

What we don't know yet

Which Carter count is on the paper. Whether either court date produced a bond order. Whether the two arrests are linked.

Photos

Text-only. The bureau posted booking photographs. They are not used here.

Why it matters

Sanford police and Lee County deputies helped the SBI charge two local men in cases that involve children. Readers need the bureau's own arrest notice, the names both papers printed, and the split on Carter's first count.

Updates

  1. Oct 30, 2026, 12:20 PM

    The Sanford Herald independently named Barney Layton Bunnell, 75, and Brandon Mitchell Carter, 36. It matched WRAL's Bunnell counts and listed a different first count for Carter. It also wrote that Carter's first court date was Friday and, citing the bureau, printed a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tip line. The SBI website still has no matching written release.

  2. Oct 29, 2026, 4:10 PM

    The SBI said Wednesday night it had arrested two Lee County men on child sex crime charges with the sheriff's office and Sanford police. WRAL independently named Barney Layton Bunnell, 75, and Brandon Mitchell Carter, 36, listed the charges, and wrote that both were held without bond.

Sources

  1. SBI Charges Two Lee County Men with Child Sex Crimes (N.C. State Bureau of Investigation @SBI1937, posted 9:43 p.m. Eastern Oct. 28, 2026: LEE COUNTY, NC; SBI working with the Lee County Sheriff's Office and the Sanford Police Department arrested two Lee County men on child sex crime charges. Two booking photographs were attached. The public X text we fetched was truncated after that opening. Names and charge lists in this file come from WRAL, not from extra detail on third-party copies of the same post. Text-only; no SBI photos used.)

    Official sourcePublished by N.C. State Bureau of Investigation · Checked Oct 29, 2026, 4:05 PM

  2. SBI: Two Lee County men arrested, charged with child sex crimes (WRAL, posted Oct. 29, 2026, 2:48 a.m.: SBI with Lee County Sheriff's Office and Sanford Police Department; Barney Layton Bunnell, 75, felony statutory sex abuse and three felony counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor; Brandon Mitchell Carter, 36, felony indecent liberties with a minor and secret peeping; Lee County Detention Center without bond; expected in court Thursday; in jail Wednesday. Photo credit State Bureau of Investigation. Text-only; no WRAL or SBI photos used.)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Oct 29, 2026, 4:05 PM

  3. NCSBI press-release list (fetched Oct. 29, 2026, afternoon and again Oct. 30, 2026, midday: no matching written release for these Lee County arrests was listed; the public table still showed older 2025 and January 2026 items.)

    Official sourcePublished by N.C. State Bureau of Investigation · Checked Oct 30, 2026, 12:20 PM

  4. SBI charges two Lee County men with child sex crimes (The Sanford Herald, Oct. 30, 2026: SBI with Lee County Sheriff's Office and Sanford Police Department; investigations began after tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to a news release from the agency; Barney Layton Bunnell, 75, felony statutory sex abuse and three felony counts of first-degree sexual exploitation of a minor; Brandon Mitchell Carter, 36, felony sexual exploitation of a minor and secret peeping; Carter held at Lee County Detention Center without bond, first court appearance scheduled for Friday; both investigations remain ongoing; SBI 919-662-4500. The page also printed a Sheriff Brian Estes statement it said appeared on the sheriff's Facebook page; that Facebook post is not used as a source here. Paywall blocked some later paragraphs. Text-only; no Herald or SBI photos used.)

    Published by The Sanford Herald · Checked Oct 30, 2026, 12:20 PM

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