GONZALES - A man fled deputies over the weekend after hospital workers discovered a small girl suffering from abdominal pain was pregnant with his child, according to authorities.

The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office said Wendell Sanchez, 34, brought the 11-year-old girl to the emergency room Sunday evening after she had complained about pain in her abdomen. Sanchez reportedly waited in his car while the girl met with medical personnel.

When staff examined the girl, they discovered she was pregnant and that Sanchez appeared to be the father of the unborn child.

Sanchez reportedly fled the hospital once deputies arrived on scene and ran into a nearby apartment complex on foot. Gonzales police and Ascension sheriff's deputies soon found Sanchez hiding on the patio of one of the apartments. The sheriff's office said he also had illegal drugs on him when he was taken into custody.

Sanchez was booked into the Ascension Parish jail on charges of first-degree rape of a victim under 13, criminal trespass, simple criminal damage to property, and several drug and traffic-related charges.