A 24-year-old is being charged after allegedly having sexual relations with a 14-year-old in Buchanan County.

Linford A. Johnson is charged with a felony for second-degree statutory rape stemming from an incident that allegedly took place Wednesday in St. Joseph.

Court documents state that according to reports and statements Johnson had sexual intercourse with the child victim but was unaware of the victim’s age at the time of the incident.

“The defendant has been told numerous times by the victim’s mother to stay away from the victim and he was made aware of her age on numerous occasions but continued to have contact with the juvenile victim,” said Officer Quentin Abbott with the St. Joseph Police Department.

“Because of the serious nature of the crime, it is not unreasonable to believe the defendant would not appear in court,” Abbott said. “The defendant is from another country and has no family ties to the St. Joseph area.”

Johnson is being held on $25,000 bond.