THOMASVILLE — The U.S. Border Patrol in Arizona has arrested a man the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office has been looking for since late 2019.

In late December 2019, the sheriff’s office Criminal Investigations Division received a complaint from a child claiming sexual interaction with an adult male, said Capt. Tim Watkins, sheriff’s office chief investigator.

“We have medical corroboration there was sexual contact,” said Kevin Dennis, the investigator assigned to the case last year.

The suspect, 31-year-old Uriver Alexander Mendez, left the area.

Watkins said it appears Mendez was attempting to leave the country when he was captured by the Border Patrol in a remote section of an Arizona desert. Seven other people were with Mendez during the illegal border crossing.

A warrant charging Mendez with rape was entered into a national bulletin center. The Border Patrol captured Mendez on Saturday, Aug. 22, and notified the sheriff’s office that he was in custody.

An extradition hearing is pending in the Tucson, Arizona, Border Patrol sector.