HENRY COUNTY, Va. – 21-year-old Kaleb Merritt of Texas will be tried in Henry County for the abduction and rape of a 12-year-old girl.

Merritt’s preliminary hearing was held Tuesday and the charges against him were certified. In addition to rape and abduction, he is also charged with solicitation of a child.

The 12-year-old victim and her great-grandmother – with whom she lives — were both called to testify during Merritt’s hearing. The girl told the court she met Merritt online and planned to run away with him.

Merritt drove from Texas to Virginia and said he didn’t see his actions as kidnapping the girl, but rather, running away with the child.

No trial date has been set.