Fort Payne man charged with 16 counts of sexual misconduct with underage girls

A Fort Payne, Ala., man is behind bars on $250,000 bond on a combined 16 counts of sexual misconduct involving underage girls.

Fort Payne police say Pablo Pedro Gomez, 23, was charged with six counts of first-degree rape, nine counts of first-degree sodomy and one count of sexual abuse of a child under 12, according to a departmental news release.

The investigation stems from a complaint filed Tuesday with a Fort Payne Police Department school resource officer about a man, identified by police as Gomez, engaging in “illegal sexual activity” with underage girls, officials said.

Fort Payne detectives took up the investigation from there, and alleged victims were interviewed at the DeKalb County Children’s Advocacy Center. Officials said the interviews led to the identification of Gomez as the perpetrator.