A Jefferson County man is charged with one count of rape after accusations he had sex with a child younger than 12 years old.

Robert Phillip Keenan, 31, of Wintersville was arrested Sunday.

Sheriff Fred Abdalla said the child told her mother she was a victim of sexual assault by someone she knows. The incident reportedly happened in two places in Wintersville.

Deputies and Wintersville police assisted in arrested Keenan.

Abdalla said his office has investigated nearly 800 cases of alleged rape since he's been in office, and said it's heartbreaking when an incident like rape involves children.

"The awareness is out there, the penalties are great, but people continue to do it. I don't know what the answer is, but we get these types of calls (and) we're going to pursue them with everything we've got," Abdalla said.

Keenan is being charged with one count of rape as of Monday, but Abdalla said he believes more charges are possible in the future.

Keenan is scheduled to be arraigned in court on Tuesday and a judge set his bond at $100,000.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office has arrested two other men on rape charges in less than a month, both stemming from separate incidents.

Brandon Billingsley was arrested in Rayland after authorities found him hiding in a shower at a house.

Last week, Donald Lafferty was accused of having sex with a girl who is younger than 16. Those allegations date back to last October.

All of the cases remain under investigation. Stay with NEWS9 and WTOV9.com for continuing coverage.