ALFRED – The New Mexico man accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in Old Orchard Beach in December has pleaded innocent to gross sexual assault and sexual abuse of a minor.

Dan Eneagu, 38, of Albuquerque, N.M., is charged with raping the girl, who was abducted by two other men while shopping with her stepmother in South Portland. The girl has been described by police as having the mental capacity of a 7-year-old.

Eneagu has told police that he had sex with the girl, but insisted he did not know that she was underage or had any mental disability.

During a hearing Tuesday in York County Superior Court, Eneagu’s lawyer said his client knew so many personal details about the girl that the sex must have been consensual.

Nicholas Mahoney also argued that his client, a native of Nigeria, does not fully understand the U.S. legal system.

Prosecutors believe Eneagu is a flight risk because of the seriousness of the charges and the defendant’s lack of ties to Maine, Assistant District Attorney Pat Gordon said.

Before his arrest, Eneagu had been employed by an electrical subcontractor doing work for Cianbro Corp. on oil rigs in Portland.

The two men suspected of abducting the girl have not been arrested.