HENRY COUNTY, Va. – A Texas man is headed to trial for multiple felonies after abducting a 12-year-old girl from Henry County back in February.
21-year-old Kaleb Merritt is charged for abduction, rape and solicitation of a child following a relationship with a 12-year-old girl. Merritt will now be heading to trial to face these charges.
During Merritt’s preliminary hearing on Tuesday, the Commonwealth called six witnesses to the stand, including the 12-year-old victim and her great grandmother who she was living with at the time of the incident.
According to deputies, the victim and Merritt met online and began talking over social media.
During testimony, investigators talked about the photos and messages between Merritt and the 12-year-old girl which were found on the victim’s phone.
During the victim’s testimony, she said she wanted to run away with Merritt because she loved him.
In an interview read during the hearing, Merritt told police he did not see it as kidnapping the girl, but rather, running away with her.
A date has not been set for Merritt’s trial yet.