The Mathews County Sheriff’s Office has concluded a lengthy investigation into a child sexual assault case with the arrest of a 28-year-old male resident of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The case began in August 2024, when the sheriff’s office was contacted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Florida regarding a juvenile who had reported multiple sexual assault that had occurred in Mathews, said a press release. It was determined that a number of sexual assaults of a child under the age of 13 had occurred over the course of a few years when the child’s family lived in Mathews. The abuse continued until the family relocated from the area.

The man was charged with four counts of aggravated sexual battery, one count of forcible sodomy, one count of abduction with intent to extort money or for immoral purpose, one count of crimes against nature, three counts of taking indecent liberties with children, and four counts of cruelty and injuries to children. He was apprehended in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and with the assistance of the U.S.V.I. Department of Justice, deputies from Mathews successfully took custody of him on Feb. 28. He was extradited to Mathews, where he was ordered to be held without bond and was taken to the Middle Peninsula Regional Security Center.

Sheriff April Edwards cited Sgt. Julianna Hill for her “perseverance and dedication in bringing this case to a close.”