Inmate charged with sexually assaulting 13-year-old girl

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — A former Pender County man who is currently serving time in prison has been charged with child sex crimes.

The Pender County Sheriff’s Office says James Allen Bunch, a former resident of Currie, was arrested on Friday.

According to Spokesman Capt. James Rowell, Bunch who is serving an active prison sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the Virginia Department of Corrections was returned to North Carolina so that Pender County warrants could be served, charging him with sex crimes involving a teen.

He is now charged with two felony counts of indecent liberties with a child, two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery and one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon.

These charges stem from an investigation in which a 13-year-old girl accused Bunch of sexually assaulting her from 2016 to 2017.

Bunch is currently in the Pender County Jail under no bond.

If you know any information, please contact Detective-Sergeant Steve Clinard at (910) 259-1437.