By Gina Jordan
Tallahassee, FL – More charges have been filed against a rape suspect in Tallahassee. 25-year-old Jake Butler was arrested last Wednesday for the sexual battery of a woman at an apartment complex on Delaney Drive. The victim said the suspect presented himself as a maintenance worker.
The May 14th attack was the third rape in six weeks in Northeast Tallahassee. A sexual battery task force consisting of investigators from four area agencies was formed after the first two attacks, both in Killearn Acres. FDLE Special Agent-in-Charge Don Ladner on Friday announced a key finding in their investigation.
"Our crime lab has established that the DNA found at the scene of the sexual battery that occurred at Delaney Drive and the first sexual battery in Killearn Acres on April 13th matched the same suspect."
Before Butler was taken into custody, a search warrant enabled investigators to obtain a sample of his DNA. Ladner says forensic testing linked Butler to both of those rapes. TPD Chief Dennis Jones says sources in the community brought in valuable leads.
"After the composite, which you can see there's a strong likeness there, we were able to include him in a lineup, and the victim picked him out without hesitation."
The other attack in Killearn Acres on May 1st is still under investigation, and Butler is a suspect.