A federal investigator with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is facing multiple charges in Baldwin County involving sexual abuse related crimes after turning himself in over the weekend.

According to a press release from the Spanish Fort Police Department, Kent Blacklidge, who worked as a special agent for HSI, turned himself in to Baldwin County Jail on Saturday, Sept. 5, and is facing charges of first-degree rape, second-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, second-degree sodomy, two counts of first-degree sex abuse and two counts of second-degree sex abuse and incest.

Authorities held a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 8, discussing Blacklidge’s arrest and their investigation, which featured Spanish Fort Police Chief John Barber, Spanish Fort Mayor Brad Bass and Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall.

Barber said they received a report on Jan. 11 involving a female child within their jurisdiction and identified the alleged perpetrator as Blacklidge, who lived in Spanish Fort at the time of the incident.

“It takes an unbelievable amount of courage and strength for a victim in these types of crimes to come forward, and I commend our victim for having that resolve,” Barber said.

The Spanish Fort Police Department said Blacklidge was placed on administrative leave by HSI at the start of the investigation.

Barber said he could not go into specific details of the case but said that investigators, the Baldwin County District Attorney’s Office and the Alabama Attorney General’s Office conducted interviews, collected evidence and “ensured the case was investigated to the fullest." A grand jury consisting of 18 community members indicted Blacklidge.

“There are nearly 800,000 law enforcement officers in this country,” Barber said. “These officers deserve a profession that holds itself to the highest possible professional standards while honoring men and women who wear the badge with integrity and having the courage to hold accountable those who violate public trust, violate the law or dishonor the badge they were entrusted to wear. No one is above the law, and the badge is not a shield from accountability.”

Marshall echoed similar sentiments, saying it was “disappointing to have to identify one of those who wore a badge as someone who broke the law.” The attorney general said Blacklidge's job involves investigated cases involving child exploitation.

“It is our responsibility to follow the facts and apply the law regardless of what you’ve done, regardless of where you work and regardless of who you are,” Marshall said. “I commend Spanish Fort Police Department for remarkable investigative work, incredibly thorough investigation that applied to our team and opportunity now to provide justice for the victim who richly deserves it.”

Marshall said his office is prosecuting the case because of a conflict of interest involving the Baldwin County District Attorney’s Office, saying a defendant is a witness in some of their other cases.

“This is not unusual for DA’s offices to recuse and ask us to be involved, but we are happy to be able to stand in,” Marshall said. “Our team is prepared to move forward and provide what this victim deserves, and that is an opportunity for her story to be told and for there to be accountability from a jury in this community. We look forward to having the opportunity to be able to try this case and provide justice for someone who richly deserves it.”

Blacklidge was still in custody at the time of the press conference but was released later in the day on Sept. 8, according to arrest records from the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office. Barber told GCM that Blacklidge made bond early in the afternoon on a total of $560,000.

Marshall had said during the press conference that if he were to make bond, Blacklidge would be placed on electronic monitoring, confined to his home and will be prohibited from contacting the victim or anyone under the age of 18.