A Boaz man is currently in the DeKalb County Detention Center on a $2,000,000 bond after being arrested on charges regarding sexual abuse of a child.

DeKalb County Deputies and Investigators have arrested Tomas Juan Francisco, 47, at his residence on County Road 386, and charged with Sexual Abuse of a Child Under the Age of 12; those charges stem from an investigation conducted by DeKalb County Investigators who specialize in sexual crimes and crimes against children.  The investigation is on-going and more charges may be forthcoming.   Due to the age of the victim, and to protect their identity, information on cases of this type is limited – at this point, authorities say the investigation is on-going.

If you know of any child who may be abused or are yourself a victim of a crime – call the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office at (256) 845-3801.

DeKalb County Sheriff Nick Welden said of the incident: “This is another outstanding job by our dedicated team of investigators. This is also a great example of why we have investigators devoted to pursuing these crimes.”

“I can’t stress enough how important it is that we protect our children from predators. I wish there was a way we could prevent this sort of thing from happening to any child, but our job is to pursue the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” said Sheriff Welden.

“The only way to prevent these types of crimes is at the family level. Please pay attention to who your younger family members are around and what their intentions might be. And never hesitate to call us if you think something criminal has taken place,” he added.

“God Bless!” Concluded Sheriff Welden.