A man accused of kidnapping, raping and sexually abusing an Edmonton girl faces additional charges following a grand jury indictment Tuesday in the United States.
According to a document filed with the Clackamas County Circuit Court in the state of Oregon, a grand jury accused Noah Madrano, 40, of first-degree sodomy and unlawful sexual penetration in the first degree along with second-degree rape, second-degree kidnapping and first-degree sexual abuse.
After a 13-year-old Edmonton girl went missing on June 24, Madrano, a suspect in her disappearance, was arrested July 2 in Oregon City, the governmental centre of Clackamas County just south of Portland, where police also found the teen. Postmedia is not identifying the girl or her family, who were reunited on the weekend she was found.
At the time of the arrest, Edmonton police said 10 different law enforcement organizations were involved in the effort, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The bureau’s Portland field office has said Madrano was jailed on state charges.
The accused was held at a Clackamas County jail and appeared in court on July 6 for arraignment, a process where defendants are formally advised of the charges against them. The charges filed against Madrano included second-degree kidnapping, second-degree rape, and first-degree sexual abuse.
In Oregon, felony charges are first filed by the district attorney before being presented in front of a panel known as a grand jury. If the grand jury determines based on testimony that a felony has been committed, the defendant is formally indicted.
Madrano’s bail has been set at $500,000, but he currently isn’t eligible for release because he’s subject to an FBI hold.
Edmonton police have said the two met over social media. Just how the girl managed to cross the border into the U.S., however, remains unclear, although police in Abbotsford, B.C., identified the pair on July 1 through CCTV footage near the Sumas border crossing.
The Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office said the girl was found with Madrano at the time of his arrest and the U.S. federal government is also expected to initiate charges.
However, it could take longer for the suspect to face charges in Canada, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) has said, since Madrano is not currently eligible for bail and international law enforcement agencies are involved. While EPS is working with U.S. law enforcement to collect and share information in this case, police expect it may take several months for them to conclude their investigation “which could include potential (Canadian) charges.”
— With files from Postmedia and The Canadian Press
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