MARYVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A North Carolina man was charged with sexual battery by an authority figure in Blount County, a sheriff’s office spokesperson said Tuesday.

Joseph Kade Abbott, 26, of Matthews, N.C., was arrested in North Carolina and transported to the Blount County Detention Facility where he was served a warrant for sexual battery.

The Blount County Sheriff’s Office opened a sexual misconduct investigation in June 2022 involving Abbott and a 14-year-old girl. Blount County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Marian O’Briant said the inquiry remains ongoing.

Abbott’s bond was set at $200,000 and a hearing in Blount County Court has been scheduled for Jan. 18 at 9 a.m.