GRANT COUNTY, Ind. (WOWO) — A California man is behind bars in Grant County after deputies say he traveled across the country to meet and sexually assault a 12-year-old girl.

The Grant County Sheriff’s Office says 26-year-old Kevin Dominguez of Sacramento, California, was arrested Friday following an investigation that began when deputies were called about an unknown man inside a home where children were present. Investigators say Dominguez had been communicating online with the girl for several months before traveling to Indiana last week and staying at a Fort Wayne motel.

When the child’s parents discovered what was happening, detectives say the girl’s father began communicating directly with Dominguez, which helped deputies take him into custody without incident.

Dominguez was booked into the Grant County Jail on preliminary charges including three counts of Child Molesting, two counts of Child Exploitation, and one count each of Strangulation and Battery. He’s being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond.

Sheriff Del Garcia said the arrest underscores how quickly online communication can turn dangerous and urged parents to stay involved in their children’s online activities. The case remains under active investigation with help from the Delaware County High Tech Crime Unit.

Dominguez is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.