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Hebron man charged with raping teen arrested while attempting to flee the country

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HEBRON, Ky. — A 26-year-old Hebron man charged with raping a 14-year-old girl was captured by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents as he tried to board a plane to Togo, a nation in western Africa.

The Boone County Sheriff's Office said in June the 14-year-old reported that Abdulwahab Kherow Haji-Eda "engaged in unlawful sexual intercourse" with her multiple times over eight months. Police also discovered Kherow Haji-Eda illegally texted explicitly with the teen, according to the sheriff's office.

Investigators obtained a warrant for his arrest on July 27 and enlisted the help of the U.S. Marshals Service for his arrest. Marshals learned Kherow Haji-Eda had purchased a plane ticket departing from Columbus, Ohio headed to Togo.

During a layover at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents took him into custody just before the plane was scheduled to depart, police said.

Kherow Haji-Eda has been charged with two counts of rape, one count of sodomy and one count of procuring or promoting use of a minor by electronic means. He is currently in the Louden County Adult Detention Center in Virginia while he awaits extradition back to Boone County. He is being held on a $250,000 bond.

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