A 28-year-old Alabama man has been charged with sexual battery involving a Lucedale teenager who he met over the Internet.

George County Sheriff Garry Welford said Perry Lynn Gold Jr., of Harvest, Ala., initially contacted the 15-year-old girl through the social networking Web site, MySpace. Welford said Gold also talked to the minor on the telephone before arranging a personal meeting.

Welford said in a statement Wednesday that Gold traveled to George County where a sexual encounter allegedly took place.

The sheriff said a warrant for Gold’s arrest was transmitted from George County Justice Court to Madison County, Ala., where authorities arrested him. He was transported back to George County on Tuesday.

Gold was being held in the county jail pending an initial court hearing.

A sexual battery conviction carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison for the first offense and requires the convicted person to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.