CANYON CITY – Police in North Carolina have arrested a Grant County man wanted as “a person of interest” in a local rape case, Sheriff Glenn Palmer said.

Palmer said police in Waynesville, N.C., confirmed the warrant for John Edward Williams Jr. early on Tuesday, Aug. 30.

Police issued an alert last Friday for information on Williams’ whereabouts as the Sheriff’s Office continued an investigation into a rape case involving a 12-year-old girl.

Palmer said Williams is expected to face local charges in North Carolina before extradition to Oregon.