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Proposals Would Extend Rape Cases’ Statute Of Limitations

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Lawmakers are scheduled to vote this week on proposals to extend the 20-year statute of limitations for rape and sexual battery.
Related bills in the House and Senate would provide an additional five years for prosecution from the point when a potential suspect is identified through DNA testing.
The legislation comes as the Attorney General’s office continues to plow through a backlog of untested rape kits, with numerous cases of DNA matches in a criminal database.
The House Judiciary Committee has scheduled a possible vote on the proposal Tuesday afternoon while the Senate Criminal Justice Committee considers the matter Wednesday.
Attorney General Mike DeWine said earlier this month testing has led to 2,465 matches, with 259 defendants in Cuyahoga County alone indicted as a result.