Newberry man arrested after allegedly putting crushed pills into victim’s food

NEWBERRY COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - A Newberry man has been arrested in connection to domestic violence and criminal sexual conduct with a minor.

Christopher Joseph Yarbrough was taken into custody on Tuesday afternoon after a deputy received a complaint about him physically assaulting a woman.

Investigators say early Tuesday morning Yarbrough was confronted by the victim about placing crushed blue pills in her and her children’s food.

The victim says during the confrontation, the suspect became upset and grabbed and shoved her to the floor and then choked her.

The two children were near during the altercation and intervened by getting the woman to a safe place.

One of the children told law enforcement Yarbrough had committed sexual battery on them.

During a search, investigators located Suboxone patches and several guns in Yarbrough’s possession.

The victims were taken to Newberry Hospital for medical treatment and the Department of Social Services was notified to assist in the case.

Sheriff Lee Foster said this is not the first encounter with Yarbrough.

He is a registered sex offender with the Newberry County Sheriff’s Office for a 2005 conviction of Voyeurism.

Yarbrough was also investigated in 2018 for going to his neighbor’s house and using a camera affixed to a pole to film someone in a bathroom.

He was convicted of 4 counts of Voyeurism 2nd offense in 2019.

Yarbrough is being held at the Newberry County Detention Center after a Newberry County Magistrate denied his bond for his criminal charges.

“Christopher Yarbrough is a prime example of a person that does not need to be walking around in society. It is obvious he has not learned his lesson from his past transgressions and is presenting a clear present danger to our community,” said Sheriff Foster.

He is being charged with domestic violence, criminal sexual conduct with a minor, possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a violent crime, two counts of voyeurism, two counts of first-degree sexual exploitation, two counts of unlawful conduct toward a child, and possession of controlled substance second offense.

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