Powhatan employee accused of child sex crimes turns himself in

POWHATAN COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- An employee with Powhatan County has turned himself in one week after being charged with five counts of child sex crimes.

According to the Powhatan County Sheriff's Office, James William Babcock turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday, Sept. 10 and is being held without bond.

Babcock, who served as the county's Emergency Management Coordinator, is facing five counts of indecent acts with a child in a custodial role, according to court records.

Several days after the charges were originally filed on Wednesday, Sept. 3, the court system had Babcock marked as a fugitive, indicating that he was not in custody.

The crimes were allegedly committed in March 2017, prior to his employment for the county, which began in 2023, according to a post on the county's Facebook page.

Powhatan County provided 8News with the following statement regarding Babcock's employment after the charges came to light:

"Mr. Babcock is no longer performing duties for the County. He was placed on unpaid administrative leave as soon as we were made aware of the pending indictment," a spokesperson with Powhatan County said.

As of the time of reporting, Tom Berry remains Interim Emergency Management Coordinator on the county website.