Phil Campbell man arrested for sex crimes

By Staff
Melissa Cason
PHIL CAMPBELL – A Phil Campbell man is in jail after allegedly sexually abusing two small children under the age of five.
Franklin County Sheriff Larry Plott said Robert O'Neal Hollis, 31, of 31 Sherrill St. in Phil Campbell, is charged with 10 counts of first-degree sexual abuse.
Plott said Hollis is accused of inappropriately touching two small children under the age of five for his own sexual gratification.
"Mr. Hollis is an acquaintance of the family," Plott said.
According to the Alabama Criminal Code, first-degree sexual abuse is a Class C felony, which carries of sentence of one to 10 years in prison for each count upon conviction.
Hollis is being held in the Franklin County Detention Center pending a $100,000 bond
Plott said Minnie Gilstrap, 32, of Phil Campbell was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child, which is a misdemeanor and punishable by a fine and one year in jail.
Sources said Gilstrap knew about the abuse and did nothing to stop it. A man was also arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child, but no information was made available about his idenity.
Investigators said the alleged abuse occurred during the last four months.
Hollis has a previous conviction in another county of child abuse, and was not supposed to be in contact with children. However, sources said Hollis had been staying with the family.
The Department of Human Resources was contacted to investigate the allegations from sources outside the home.
The arrests were made after children were questioned by investigators.