Hall County officials say they have agreed to keep the man who took Gainesville girl Maria Gomez-Perez in custody in Ohio until further notice.
Antonio Agustin-Ailon, age 34 of Guatemala, who was living in Dover, Ohio, was arrested on Thursday, July 25 after investigators found him in the company of the missing 12-year-old girl in Dover. Since that time, Agustin-Ailon has remained jailed in Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
Hall County District Attorney Lee Darragh issued a statement Friday saying discussions with Tuscarawas County prosecutors have led to the decision to keep Agustin-Ailon there for now.
"Based on the information we have at this time, the most serious criminal offenses in this case occurred in Ohio," Darragh said. "The bulk of necessary witnesses even to prove a Hall County case are in Ohio. It makes sense that the suspect answer to what charges Ohio proceeds on first."
Authorities have said Agustin-Ailon had been communicating online with Gomez-Perez for some time before he allegedly drove from Ohio to Gainesville and picked the girl up from her home on May 29. The two were found together after Gomez-Perez contacted her father on social media, allowing law enforcement to track her location.
Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch also issued a statement Friday, saying he agrees with Darragh's decision to keep Agustin-Ailon in Ohio.
"My primary goal in this case is to see justice done," Couch said. "If that means we have to wait for this suspect to have his day in court in Ohio before he faces our charges, so be it. I just want to make sure he has no chance of luring another young girl from home, wreaking havoc on another community like he did ours."
Agustin-Ailon is facing charges including rape and interference with custody in Tuscarawas County, Ohio.
