Published: September 22, 2005 12:45 am

Police say rape suspect's DNA linked to a 1998 crime in Enid

By Cass Rains Staff Writer



Enid police detectives said they believe they have found a suspect for a rape case from 1998 reopened after DNA evidence from a rape in August in Chickasha matched DNA collected seven years ago.

"I anticipate an arrest warrant being issued," said Enid Police Department Lt. Dean Grassino.

On May 11, 1998, a woman was assaulted in her apartment by a man who sodomized and raped her at knifepoint. The woman reported the incident to police, a rape examination was performed and DNA from the rapist was collected.



Enid police investigated the rape but were unable to identify any suspects. The case subsequently was closed, but DNA evidence collected was sent to Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and entered into Combined DNA Index System Database.



On Aug. 10, a 21-year-old woman reported being assaulted in Chickasha. The woman told police she had been sodomized and raped at knifepoint. The woman went to the hospital to have a rape examination performed, and DNA from the rapist was collected.

Grassino said the woman told Chickasha police she thought she knew who the man was and gave police a description and a name. When police interviewed the man named, he voluntarily gave police a sample of his DNA.

Once Chickasha police sent the DNA to OSBI and it was checked with the evidence on file, authorities found a match for the evidence collected in 1998 in Enid.

Enid police reopened the 1998 case based upon the evidence, Grassino said, and an affidavit has been forwarded to Garfield County District Attorney's Office asking for charges to be filed in the case.

The statute of limitations for filing charges in a rape case is seven years, Grassino said. Since DNA evidence was used to identify the suspect, Oklahoma law allows three more years after DNA identification for prosecution.

Grassino said OSBI is sending the suspect's information and DNA to surrounding states where the suspect may have lived so authorities can crosscheck it with their databases.

The suspect is in custody in Grady County. The man is being held without bond on drug charges after police executed a search warrant based upon evidence from the rape case.