JONES COUNTY, Miss. (WHLT) – A man was deported to Mexico as part of a plea agreement in which he pled guilty to child molestation in Jones County Circuit Court.

The Laurel Leader Call reported Diego Morales Ruiz, 32, was initially facing a maximum of 15 years in prison during his initial trial. However, an 11-1 deadlocked jury led to a mistrial.

In an effort to keep the victim from having to testify again, a plea agreement was reached.

According to the newspaper, Ruiz pled guilty to touching a nine-year-old girl to gratify his lust on September 9, 2019. He was ordered to serve three years on post-release supervision under the Mississippi Department of Corrections if he wasn’t picked up by ICE within three months.

However, he was picked up by federal agents by the end of the week.