FROM STAFF REPORTS

HELENA – A 23-year-old man has been charged with second-degree rape.

Lazaro Venencio Climaco of Mexico was arrested by the Helena Police Department and charged with the rape of a 13-year-old female, according to the Helena Police Department’s Facebook page.

“The female victim notified a school counselor of the alleged sexual assault, and as a result, an investigation was initiated by the Criminal Investigation Division,” the statement read.

Climaco was arrested the morning of July 16 at an apartment in Birmingham, and transported to the Shelby County Jail, where he is being held on $125,000 bond.

Lt. Brad Flynn of the Helena Police Department said Climaco was using a different last name and had turned off his phones prior to his arrest. He is booked in the Shelby County Jail under the name “Lazaro Venancio.”

“We had several different aliases for him,” Flynn said. “We believe Climaco is his actual last name.”

The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force assisted with Climaco’s arrest.

In the statement, the Helena Police Department thanked the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office and the Shelby County Department of Human Resources for their assistance in the investigation.

“We take the safety of our children very seriously,” Flynn said. “If you victimize a child in Helena, we will investigate … and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.”

Anyone with concerns about the safety or well being of a child can contact the Helena Police Department 663-6499.