Teen Charged with Rape of 12-year-old Tuscaloosa Girl

A 19-year-old Tuscaloosa man has been charged with rape after investigators discovered he was in a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old girl.

Lt. Teena Richardson, a spokesperson for the Tuscaloosa Police Department, said officers were called to a home in the 300 block of 41st Avenue early Tuesday morning and informed that the 12-year-old was "engaged in an ongoing intimate relationship" with the 19-year-old suspect.

Richardson said police searched a home on 44th Avenue where they found Mario Pablo Ortiz and the 12-year-old victim.

Investigators with TPD's juvenile division responded and conducted an investigation before charging Ortiz with first-degree rape, second-degree rape and interference with custody.

Ortiz was booked in the Tuscaloosa County Jail, where he remains on a combined bond of $80,000.