By Zya Williams

A 25-year-old man who was arrested over the weekend during a search of his home has been charged with rape.

The arrest followed a series of search warrants executed on May 11 in the Gray’s Farm, Five Islands, and Nut Grove areas. During one of these searches, authorities discovered a missing 14-year-old girl in one of the residences.

The man was apprehended under suspicion of harboring the missing girl, and upon further investigation, he was promptly charged with three counts of rape.

The alleged offenses are reported to have occurred between May 6 and May 11 of this year.

Appearing before the St. John’s Magistrates’ Court this morning, the prosecution objected to granting the defendant bail, citing the proximity of the complainant’s and the accused’s residences.

The investigator also informed the court that the man and the complainant first encountered each other at a shop near her, which the accused frequented.

Considering the circumstances, the Magistrate opted to remand the man to prison and scheduled his committal hearing for September 3, expressing unease about the situation.