A 35-year-old man from Gambrills was indicted on rape and assault charges Friday, in a case involving a 12-year-old girl.

Court records show Christopher Steven McGee has been held without bail since at least the beginning of November, soon after authorities reviewed Facebook and text messages indicating he had “devoted his love” to the minor.

According to charging documents, when the girl was “not forthcoming” with detectives, they spoke to her mother, who showed them a confrontation she had with McGee online. In it, the defendant told her that he does “have feeling for your daughter [sic]” and said he hopes to marry her when she’s 18, “if it is still her desire.”

“I will respect her youth and look out and protect her. …You think I’m leading her on or manipulating her I’m not, [sic]” McGee wrote, according to charging documents.

The girl told authorities about two times she had sex with McGee, saying she would meet him in public places, like the Arundel Mills Mall in Hanover.

According to charging documents, she said the “approximate range” of their interactions was from December 2023 to June 2024 — a timeline reflected in an initial indictment from November. Friday’s indictment, however, only listed the month of November 2023, according to the Maryland Judiciary.

It was not immediately clear if the new charges will supersede the previous ones.

It was also not clear in court records how McGee knew or met the 12-year-old girl.

A grand jury issued second-degree rape and third-degree sex offense indictments against McGee, both felonies. He is also charged with a fourth-degree sex offense and second-degree assault, misdemeanors.

If convicted of the felonies, McGee could be sentenced to 30 years in prison, according to state sentencing guidelines.

A status conference is scheduled for March 21 in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court.

Defense attorney Taylor Christian Hartman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Though police wrote in charging documents that McGee was a lifelong registered sex offender, an online search Tuesday did not show McGee on the Maryland or National sex offender registries.

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