PR: 80-yr old pastor facing rape charge

BAYAMON (AP) - A judge denied a request Monday to dismiss charges against a Christian minister accused of raping a young girl.

Lawyers representing the Rev. Jose Candelario Ayala, 80, said they would appeal the decision.

Candelario has pleaded innocent to charges of statutory rape and attempted rape of a girl more than a decade age. The victim, who is 24 now, was 12 and 13 at the time of the alleged offenses.

Superior Court Judge Jose Juan Delgado set a hearing for June 30 in the U.S. territory to determine whether the case should go to trial.

Why the twelve year wait before bringing charges, I wonder?