Bedford County man charged with sexual battery against child in Ashland

A Bedford County man has been arrested and charged with sexual battery of a child under 12, according to a news release from the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities arrested Allen Lee Ford, 63, of Spring Lake Road, in Forest, after the Ashland Police Department and Campbell County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office about a possible sexual exploitation case, the release said.

The investigation began after the alleged victim, who is now an adult, disclosed a sexual assault that happened before 1999 to Ashland authorities.

An investigation by the sheriff’s offices of Bedford and Campbell counties, Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce and the Ashland Police Department identified four other alleged victims and charges are pending, the release said.

Ford is being held in the Blue Ridge Regional Jail without bond.