Watch CBS News

Southfield Man Charged Based On Long-Abandoned Rape Kits

DETROIT (WWJ/AP) - Wayne County prosecutors have filed charges in two more cases after going through untested rape evidence kits found in a warehouse.

A Southfield man has been charged with first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct in two alleged attacks that occurred in 2003 and 2004.

Prosecutors say DNA evidence proves Jerrod Desean Allen, now 29, raped a 43-year-old woman early in the morning of Sept. 2, 2003, after hitting her in the head in the area of Conner and Essex in Detroit

Almost a year later to the day, early in the morning of Sept. 1, 2004, prosecutors say Allen sexually assaulted a 59-year-old woman near Lakewood and Kercheval in Detroit.

Allen was arraigned Thursday. He was being held on $200,000 bond pending a Feb. 28 preliminary examination.

During a 2009 tour of a Detroit Police Department storage facility, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office discovered 11,303 untested rape kits dating back nearly 25 years.

"We will continue to work hard to bring justice to these victims," said Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, in a statement.

The old cases were investigated as part of a project with the National Institute of Justice.

Prosecutors say each rape kit has the potential to solve multiple crimes.

MORE: Prosecutor: 11,000 Rape Kits Remain Untested In Detroit

Testing Of Old Detroit Rape Kits Moves Into Second Phase

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.