Las Cruces man accused of raping young girl for a year

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- A 46-year-old Las Cruces man was arrested on allegations that he repeatedly raped a young girl for nearly a year, in a case that police said came to light after the victim's mother discovered an explicit video of her daughter.

Police said Wednesday they had charged Alan Duane Dodson with multiple felony counts including criminal sexual penetration of a minor and criminal sexual contact of a minor.

Authorities allege that Dodson began sexually assaulting the then-10-year-old girl in April of last year and continued doing so until March of this year.

"Investigators learned that Dodson was in a relationship with a relative of the young girl and would sometimes watch over the girl when her mother went to work," police write in an incident report. "The girl’s mother learned of the allegations after discovering an explicit video on her daughter’s cell phone. The girl’s mother called police shortly thereafter."

Following his arrest on Tuesday, Dodson was being held without bond in the Dona Ana County Detention Center.