An Alabama man has been arrested and charged with the rape of a child with mental deficiencies, police said.

Boaz resident Adan Franco Ramirez, 23, allegedly molested a child two years ago, police said.

Police reports say that it was 12 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 24 2021, the day before Thanksgiving when Ramirez coerced a girl between the ages of 12 and 16 to perform sexual acts with him.

The incident allegedly took place in the parking lot of a Publix in Chelsea, and the victim is said to have been “incapable of consent by reason of mental deficiency” indicating that she experiences some form of mental disability.

Due to the victim’s age and vulnerable status, all information about her, save for the acts purportedly committed against her, has been withheld by law enforcement. 

For two years, no charges were filed against Ramirez. Court records indicate that during that time the only legal trouble for Ramirez was a traffic violation in Marshall County in 2022.

“This changed however when at 3:18 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 16 law enforcement arrested Ramirez for his alleged actions back in 2021. He was subsequently taken to Shelby County Jail and given the following charges:

-Second-degree rape
-Second-degree sodomy
-Enticing a child to enter into sexual acts

Ramirez is currently being held at the Shelby County Jail on a bond of $75,000. No court date has been set for his charges. 

The investigation is still ongoing and details will be released as they become available.