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Man waives hearing on statutory rape charge
By Carey Phillips
A Sylva man waived a preliminary hearing and was bound over to Superior Court on a charge of statutory rape during the March 11 session of Jackson County District Court.
Sergio Zarates Vasquez, 28, of Eden Lane, is charged in connection with an alleged incident last October involving a 14-year-old girl.
Court papers indicate the girl is pregnant as a result of the incident.
Detective Aimee Sumner of the Sylva Police Department said the girl is the biological daughter of Vasquez’s girlfriend. The incident is alleged to have occurred at Vasquez’s home, according to Sumner.
The investigation began after the girl’s pregnancy was reported to the Department of Social Services in Stokes County, where she lives with her adoptive mother, Sumner said. Authorities there contacted the Jackson County DSS, which in turn contacted the Police Department, Sumner said.
When asked if the statutory rape charge meant the sexual encounter was consensual, Sumner said, “More than likely, yes, it was.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, Vasquez was in the Jackson County Jail with bond set at $300,000.
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