VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The Volusia County sheriff is ramping up his call for changes in the way the county handles juveniles who get into trouble.

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This comes after a 12-year-old girl ran away from Florida United Methodist Children’s Home in August and was raped.

Deputies just arrested the man they say attacked the girl in the woods near Green Springs Park in Deltona.

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Brian Young, 53, was connected to the crime after DNA from the victim’s sexual assault kit matched his DNA.

While the victim was being transported for a mental health evaluation, she revealed she’d been attacked and raped.

READ: Man accused of raping girl, 12, who ran away from children’s home

Sheriff Mike Chitwood spoke at a special Volusia County meeting this week about plans for a juvenile assessment center that would be designed to improve services for those who encounter law enforcement and provide all of them under one roof.

The county has pledged more than $5 million in federal money from the American Rescue Act plan for the new center. Plans call for a building near the Volusia County Jail to be retrofitted to house the new juvenile assessment center.

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Video: Deputies: Man charged with hate crime after randomly attacking teens at gas station A DeLand man has been charged with an unprovoked and racially motivated attack on a group of teenagers, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. (WFTV)

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