A former Mebane realtor, John Francis Barnhart, 57, white, male, of 5067 Pioneer Drive, Sanford – who was convicted in Alamance County superior court in July 2024 of indecent liberties with a 13-year-old female and is now charged in Lee County with allegedly committing a similar crime against a different victim – has permanently surrendered his real estate license.
The North Carolina Real Estate Commission (NCREC) accepted the permanent, voluntary surrender of Barnhart’s license on December 11.
The real estate commission describes a voluntary surrender as a process intended to resolve a complaint – absent a potential suspension, revocation, or findings of fact.
By permanently surrendering his license, Barnhart became ineligible to work in real estate in North Carolina without first undergoing the education and testing requirements to obtain a new real estate license, according to the commission.
Barnhart’s voluntary surrender of his license was outlined, along with other disciplinary actions involving more than a dozen other N.C. real estate agents and/or brokers, in the January 2025 bulletin for the NCREC, which is responsible for licensing and regulating real estate agents and brokers in North Carolina.
“The commission dismissed without prejudice allegations that Barnhart violated provisions of the Real Estate License Law and Commission Rules,” the NCREC reported. “Barnhart neither admitted nor denied misconduct.”
Barnhart was arrested by the Sanford police department on November 20, 2024 on a charge of felony indecent liberties with a child and released from Lee County jail the following day after posting a $150,000 secured bond.
Barnhart was subsequently charged on December 6, 2024 by the Lee County sheriff’s office with felony failure to register as a convicted sex offender, as required by an order that Alamance County superior court judge Andy Hanford entered on July 29, 2024, following Barnhart’s conviction in Alamance County.
Barnhart has been allowed to remain free on bond after giving notice of appeal at the end of his trial in Alamance County. His conviction this past summer stem-med from an incident that occurred in November 2016, for which he was charged in July 2021, according to his court file. Barnhart is being represented for his appeal by Daniel Shatz of the Office of the Appellate Defender in Durham, according to documents that have been filed with the Court of Appeals.
Barnhart was sentenced on July 29 to serve a minimum of 19 months (one year and seven months), up to a maximum of 32 months (or two years, eight months), but his prison term will only be activated if the state Court of Appeals upholds the conviction, Ala-mance County court officials told The Alamance News at the time.
Meanwhile, Barnhart was indicted on the indecent liberties charge in Lee County on December 2 and is scheduled to make his next appearance in court on January 27.
He made his first appearance in Lee County on December 9 for the charge of failing to register as a convicted sex offender.
Barnhart is being represented by Sanford attorney Matthew Stone. Lee County assistant district attorney Tiffany Bartholomew has been assigned to prosecute the two new charges against Barnhart.
