Rape suspect arrested

A Syracuse University grad student was walking to her car two weeks ago in the middle of the day when she was dragged from the street into a nearby garage and raped. Because of the violent nature of the crime and the boldness of the suspect, police made the case a top priority.

"This was one of those special cases that we knew we had to take this man off of the street before someone else was victimized,” said Police Chief Gary Miguel.

Using evidence from a rape kit, analysts were able to create a DNA profile for the suspect and run it through the state's convicted offender database.

"We were able to make a match, confirm that match, and let the police know and the District Attorney's Office know we had a hit to the case," said Dr. Kathleen Corrado, of the Center for Forensic Sciences.

The match was Robert Adams III, 21, who was released from a Buffalo-area prison just one day before the rape. He had been serving time for a burglary in Syracuse, and police said he returned to the area to see family.

Just a few hours after he was identified, police caught up with Adams at a local rescue mission. He is charged with first degree rape and first degree criminal sex act and is being held at the Justice Center.

SU officials said they are grateful he was caught, especially before the start of the new school year.

"We are very thankful that the outstanding detective work, the outstanding science work from the forensic science center, came to a quick conclusion to this as we start our semester in the next couple of weeks," said SU Public Safety Chief Anthony Callisto.

He said the university will urge students to focus on their personal safety when they return to school this fall. He said the best advice for students to follow is never walk alone.

He said the university also offers students a free shuttle service as well as student escorts to their home. All you have to do is call the campus public safety office.