JEFFERSON — A 20-year-old Atlanta man is in jail in Jackson County, accused of raping a 14-year-old girl.
Fidel Julian Hernandez faces several charges and the attacks apparently happened more than once, according to a press statement from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office. The victim's mother told investigators that the most recent assault happened in July while the girl was visiting a relative at a residence on Gum Springs Road near Jefferson.
At the time the incident was reported, Hernandez had apparently left Georgia. Jackson County authorities said with the help of U.S. marshals, they were able to track the suspect and arrest him on a bus in the state of Mississippi.
Hernandez was extradited to Jackson County on August 4. He has been charged with rape, three counts of aggravated child molestation, one count of child molestation, two counts of aggravated sodomy, cruelty to children in the first degree and one count of aggravated sexual battery.
Hernandez is being held without bond.
