GRAHAM, N.C. – A North Carolina man who worked at a behavioural health centre raped a 19-year-old with disabilities, authorities said.

Timothy Lynn Alford, 53, of Burlington was arrested Monday and charged with second-degree forcible rape and misdemeanour sexual battery, according to a news release from the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office said it received a sexual assault complaint involving a disabled female on Aug. 21, 2018.

The victim was taken to UNC Hospitals after the alleged attack. A sexual assault kit was collected and sent to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation for testing. Investigators followed up with interviews at the behavioural health centre in Chapel Hill where Alford worked and the victim was a client.

Investigators also obtained a warrant to search Alford’s home for DNA evidence, the sheriff’s office said.

Alford is jailed on a $75,000 bond. It’s unclear whether Alford had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

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The story is corrected to show the sheriff’s office was notified of the alleged incident in 2018, not 2019.