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Grand Jury Indicts Man in 1997 Rape At a Columbus Park
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A man has been indicted in a 1997 rape at a central Ohio park after new testing on old evidence helped identify him through DNA.
Prosecutors announced Thursday that a Franklin County grand jury indicted 45-year-old Joseph Carter on charges of rape and kidnapping. He was taken into custody in Oklahoma in February.
Authorities say an 18-year-old woman was walking in a Columbus park in August 1997 when she was grabbed and raped. Investigators submitted evidence from the victim’s sexual assault for testing and DNA was found matching Carter’s.
Police say Carter has a “lengthy” and “violent” criminal history in Columbus and Cuyahoga County.
Carter is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.
Franklin County court records list no attorney for him in the case.