Darlington Man Pleas No Contest in Sexual Abuse of Child

A Darlington man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for sexually assaulting a child. 25-year-old Ruben Hernandez-Alarcon recently received the sentence from Judge Duane Jorgenson in Lafayette County Circuit Court after pleading no contest to a charge of repeated sexual abuse of a child. A plea of no contest means the defendant admits no wrong-doing but accepts a given punishment. Hernandez-Alarcon was one of several men arrested this year following a monthslong investigation into alleged sexual assaults of underage girls in the Darlington area. 31-year-old Jose Lopez-Ortiz of Darlington, 27-year-old Jose Hernandez-Hernandez of Darlington, and 49-year-old Javier Mora-Cervantes of Darlington were all previously arrested in relation to this case and the cases remain open.