Columbia County Army recruiter suspended over child porn investigation

EVANS, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A military recruiter from Columbia County was suspended from duties after his arrest on suspicion of sexual exploitation of children.

Joshua Paul Barnhill, 40, is one of two Columbia County residents jailed last week as a result of separate sexual exploitation investigations. Barnhill faces four counts.

A staff sergeant in the Army, Barnhill was assigned to a South Carolina-based unit.

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He “was immediately suspended from all recruiting duties at Columbia Recruiting Company and remains in custody,” an Army spokesman said Monday.

“We are not at liberty to discuss any details pertaining to this case, as it is under investigation,” the spokesman said, adding that the Army is cooperating with local authorities and will provide any required for the investigation.

“United States Army Recruiting Command takes all allegations of misconduct seriously,” the spokesman said. “We do not tolerate inappropriate behavior by any member of our command. We are the Army’s ambassadors to communities across America, and it is crucial that everyone on our team lives and demonstrates the Army Values every day.”

Arrested on three counts of the same offense but in a separate case was Taylor Randall Shellito, 34.

The arrests were the result of unrelated investigations being conducted by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit.