Burke County man convicted of raping 13-year-old girl
A Burke County man was sentenced to at least 20 years in prison on Wednesday after a jury found him guilty of raping a 13-year-old girl.
The Superior Court jury deliberated for just 90 minutes before finding Ricardo Solis Garcia, 29, of Morganton guilty of statutory rape, the Burke County District Attorney’s Office said.
Federal immigration authorities also have a detainer on Garcia, and he will be deported at the end of his prison sentence, prosecuotrs said.
On the morning of March 6, 2015, Garcia picked up the victim at her bus stop and told her he would take her to school, according to testimony in Garcia’s two-day trial. They had once been neighbors, and although reluctant, the girl got in Garcia’s car.
Garcia instead took the girl to a Burke County motel, where he rented a room, took her in and forced her to have sex with him, according to prosecutors.
Joe Marusak: 704-358-5067, @jmarusak
This story was originally published February 1, 2017 at 9:17 PM with the headline "Burke County man convicted of raping 13-year-old girl."