A Center man was found guilty by a Shelby County jury Wednesday for the aggravated sexual assault of a child in an incident that occurred eight years ago.

Shelby County Today is reporting the three-day trial ended with the jury returning its verdict against 51-year old Juan Merino after 90-minutes of deliberation.

District Attorney Kenneth Florence in his closing statement said the victim, who was 9-years old at the time, did report the incident, but the identity of Merino was not known.

The DA’s statement said in 2014, the now 17-year old saw Merino at the Center High School athletic track and recognized him. She reportedly took a picture of his vehicle and reported it to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department. Information on the license plat led law enforcement to Merino.

The punishment phase is scheduled for 9 a.m. this morning in 123^rd District Judge Charles “Brick” Dickerson’s courtroom. Maximum punishment is 99 years, which requires a minimum of 80 percent of sentence before Merino would be eligible for parole.