A 16-year-old boy has been charged with molesting two children in Alexandria during ATV race events, one of which happened during the county fair.

The youth, whose name has not been revealed due to his status as a juvenile, is being held in juvenile detention pending his hearing before the juvenile court. He is charged with delinquency to the act of child rape, a crime which if he was an adult, would carry 15 to 25 years in prison as it is a Class A felony.

Alexandria police have revealed  that they arrested the 16-year-old boy Thursday on the rape charges, stating the incidents, involving a four and a five-year-old victim, happened on separate occasions during ATV races at the Alexandria fairgrounds track. The latest incident happened before a packed crowd at the DeKalb County Fair, while the first incident happened around a month ago during an ATV rally there. The police report did not indicate if the victims were boys or girls or one of each.

In most situations, a youth charged with a Class A felony will first be ordered for mental evaluation after appearing before the juvenile court. It would then be up to the prosecutor to decide whether to seek transfer to try the youth as an adult. Under state law, a conviction of the crime as a delinquent juvenile allows the state to only hold the offender until his 19th birthday. However, should the prosecutor move and the court agree to hold him responsible as an adult, he could face up to 50 years in prison if convicted on both charges.