UPDATE: Feb. 13 at 10:30 a.m.
Christian Delgado, the man accused of kidnapping a Rockcastle County teen has plead not guilty to state charges in court on Friday morning.
Notably, Delgado has also faces federal charges in connection to the alleged kidnapping.
Original Story:
A Rockcastle County grand jury has indicted Christian Delgado on kidnapping charges, adding to the federal charges he already faces for allegedly meeting a 13-year-old girl on a dating app and taking her across multiple states for over two months. Notably, Delgado has been moved to the Laurel County Correctional Center.
The 37-year-old is set to be arraigned February 13 on the state charges, according to court documents obtained by LEX 18. This comes after Delgado was indicted by a federal grand jury last week on two felony counts in the Eastern District of Kentucky.
Authorities say Delgado met the girl on a dating app called PURE and took her from her Rockcastle County foster home in October. He's accused of traveling with her to Florida and Maryland before she contacted a relative in December, leading to her rescue.
The federal indictment alleges Delgado knowingly transported an individual under 18 years old in interstate commerce with the intent that the individual engage in sexual activity that would constitute second-degree rape under Kentucky law. The second count accuses Delgado of attempting to use intimidation, threats and corrupt persuasion to prevent someone from reporting information about federal crimes to law enforcement.
If convicted on federal charges, Delgado faces "not less than 10 years and not more than life imprisonment," according to court documents. The case also includes mandatory special assessments totaling $5,100 and potential restitution.
The case began October 14, 2025, when the Rockcastle County Sheriff's Office issued an endangered juvenile runaway alert for the 13-year-old girl, who was last seen in the Wolf Creek Road area of Orlando, Kentucky. The U.S. Marshals Service joined the investigation two weeks later.
Investigators were able to track Delgado and the teen through hotel records, online communication logs, and digital evidence recovered from social media accounts and electronic devices. According to affidavits, on the day the teen was reported missing, U.S. Marshals determined Delgado and the girl checked into the Home2 Suites hotel near Hamburg about 90 minutes after her disappearance.
A separate state affidavit says the girl told investigators Delgado claimed he wanted to have three wives and instructed her to use his iPad to contact other girls through dating apps and social media. She alleged Delgado also used those platforms himself to meet other girls.
On December 26, the teenager called her aunt and provided her location. U.S. Marshals and Montgomery County Police responded to the reported address in Silver Spring, Maryland, and recovered the teenager without incident.
During questioning, Delgado told investigators he was the teenager's "boyfriend" and that they had met online. Delgado also reportedly told investigators he drove from Florida to Kentucky to pick up the teenager, and then took her briefly to Florida before traveling to Maryland.
