A 14-year-old male has been arrested and charged with rape following an alleged incident at Warren Central High School Wednesday, Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said.

“Warren County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) investigators were contacted Wednesday by Chief  LaToria Kerr, who is the chief for the Vicksburg Warren School District,” Pace said. “She reported that there had been a sexual assault that had taken place in an unoccupied classroom on the campus of Warren Central High School.”

Pace said WCSO deputies, along with campus police and a representative from the Warren County District Attorney’s office, reviewed video footage from the school, which allowed them to identify the unnamed suspect and take him into custody.

“When you are charged with rape, you are automatically charged as an adult, per state statute, even if you are under 18,” Pace said.

Pace said the suspect made his initial appearance in Warren County Circuit Court Thursday in front of Judge Marcie Southerland, who denied bail.

Pace said the suspect remains in the Warren County Jail, where he is being held in a portion of the jail meant to separate juvenile defendants being tried as adults from the general population.

Pace said the investigation is ongoing.