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Raleigh man faces charges linked to Maryland girl's kidnapping

A Raleigh man accused of abducting a 12-year-old girl from Maryland made his first appearance Monday afternoon in a Wake County courtroom on kidnapping and first-degree rape charges.

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RALEIGH, N.C. — A Raleigh man accused of abducting a 12-year-old girl from Maryland made his first appearance Monday afternoon in a Wake County courtroom on kidnapping and first-degree rape charges.

Victor Yanez Arroyo, 32, of 3128 Greenbranch Lane, was arrested early Saturday, three days after authorities say he took Jasmine Leighlin Baker while she was walking to the Baltimore middle school she attends.

Federal agents found the sixth-grader unharmed at a home in Raleigh late Friday night and arrested Arroyo, who was being held Monday under a $1.5 million bond and immigration detainer.

"I didn't do nothing," he said through an interpreter during his first court appearance Monday afternoon.

According to court records, Arroyo was a probation/parole absconder at the time of his arrest Saturday morning. He was convicted in 2007 of assault on a female.

Investigators said they believe the girl had communicated with Arroyo and were able to track her through her iPod and Xbox.

Tina Baker said her daughter did not know Arroyo and believes she might have communicated with him while playing a video game on Xbox.

WRAL News typically does not identify victims of rape. Baker and her family, however, have spoken publicly in the media and said that they want people to know what happened and believe the only way they can move forward is by facing the truth head-on.

"We're comfortable with the fact that this is what's happened and now moving forward," Tina Baker said. "Like I told her, she needs to be strong in hopes that, during her healing process, we can find ways to help other people. The only way to do that is to hold your head up and deal with what has been dealt to you."

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