DNA links Deltona man to rape

Staff Report

DNA evidence collected by Ormond Beach police investigators has linked a Deltona man to the rape of a 47-year-old woman in March, police said.

Shelby Lee Fleming, 47, was charged with sexual battery, said Sgt. Kenny Hayes, spokesman for the Ormond Beach Police Department.

Volusia County sheriff's deputies arrested Fleming at his home on Pigeon Cove Street at about 4 p.m. Wednesday. The woman said she was walking along Ridgewood Avenue in Daytona Beach about 5:30 p.m. on March 16 when she accepted a ride from Fleming, who drove her to a wooded area off Clyde Morris Boulevard in Ormond Beach.

He then assaulted her while threatening her with a box cutter knife, police said. She ran from the area and notified police from a nearby business. Investigators said he targeted her because he thought she would not report the crime because she was a prostitute, Hayes said.

Fleming is being held at the Volusia County Branch Jail without bail. Fleming may be responsible for other cases of sexual assault, Hayes said. Anyone with information on any other incidents involving him are asked to call Ormond Beach police at (386) 677-0731 or Crime Stoppers at (888) 277-TIPS (8477).