An illegal immigrant has been arrested and charged with first-degree rape of a teenage girl in Dale County. Gabriel Espino, 32, of Mexico, is accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old teenager, according to investigators. The relationship allegedly continued for six months before a pastor at the girl’s church reported his concerns to law enforcement.

The victim initially told police the relationship was consensual, but later said Espino began threatening to harm her and her family as it continued.

Espino was arrested by the Daleville Police Department on Aug. 9. During questioning, he told authorities he had been living in the United States illegally for five years, working various construction jobs. The police department then contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which placed a detainer on Espino.

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Espino’s court-appointed attorneys, however, convinced District Judge W. Stanley Garner Jr. to grant him bond, despite being a flight risk. The conditions of his bond, set at $250,000, mandate that he has no contact with the minor and can not leave the state. He is still listed as an inmate at the Dale County Jail as of Friday morning.

A preliminary hearing has been scheduled by Garner for September 10.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten