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Charges filed in 6 California cold cases after sexual assault kit backlog cleared
— NBC News, Jun 29, 2022
"Orange County authorities have cleared a backlog of untested sexual assault kits going back decades and the results led to the filing of charges in six cold cases, the district attorney’s office announced Tuesday. “Every one of these untested sexual assault kits represents a victim who deserves justice,” District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in the statement.
The testing resulted in hundreds of new DNA profiles being uploaded to law enforcement databases in the county and to the filing of criminal charges in six cold cases."
System to prevent rape kit backlog in Wisconsin goes live Friday
— Channel 3000 News, Jun 29, 2022
"A new system designed to prevent any future backlog of rape test kits in Madison that was stalled for years before being signed into law in December goes live on Friday.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes, Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett and a sexual assault nurse joined Attorney General Josh Kaul Wednesday to remind people of the upcoming date."
Man sentenced after rape kit test in Jackson County
— WLNS.com, Jun 16, 2022
"A Jackson man has been sentenced after being convicted of sexual misconduct and assault.
Tyrone Demarcus Parker was arrested and convicted after a rape kit was tested as part of Kalamazoo County’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative."
Man gets life sentence for sexual assault after conviction in Dallas cold case
— The Dallas Morning News, Jun 13, 2022
"A Kentucky man will spend the rest of his life in prison after Dallas police linked him to a sexual assault case that went cold for more than 15 years, the Dallas County district attorney’s office announced.
One night, Jackson threatened the woman with a knife and forced her into a secluded area near the Dallas Convention Center, where he sexually assaulted her multiple times, the DA’s office said.
The DNA on the woman’s kit matched that of Jackson, who had two years left on a prison sentence in Kentucky after being convicted of sexually assaulting a woman in 2008. His DNA also was also linked to two other sexual assault cases, but those victims had died, the district attorney’s office said."
Boone County man sentenced after Missouri attorney general’s office helps clear sexual assault kit backlog
— ABC 17 News Team, May 27, 2022
"A Boone County man charged with forcible rape pleaded guilty in court on Friday and was sentenced to seven years in prison. Original charges were never filed and the sexual assault kit was never sent to a lab.
Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said, “When I launched the SAFE Kit Initiative in 2019, my ultimate goal was to obtain justice on behalf of the victims of these heinous crimes, and to keep victims front and center in everything we do. Judge M. Keithley Williams and her team have put in painstaking hours to get these kits inventoried and tested, and today’s guilty plea is undoubtedly a product of that hard work. While this is the first conviction obtained due to testing through the SAFE Kit Initiative, my Office will continue to work hard to ensure that it isn’t the last."
GBI reduces sexual assault evidence backlog by almost 80%
— Fox 5 Atlanta, Claire Simms, May 26, 2022
"Over the last two years, employees in the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's Forensic Biology Section have worked to reduce a backlog of sexual assault evidence kits.
According to the GBI, they had 1,715 kits to process in April 2020. That number was down to just 380 in April 2022. "They have significantly reduced the backlog by almost 80 percent in the past two years," explained GBI Public Affairs Director Nelly Miles."
AG Kaul Announces Launch of Statewide Sexual Assault Kit Tracking System for Victims
— Wisconsin Department of Justice, May 25, 2022
"Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul today announced the launch of Track-Kit, a statewide sexual assault kit (SAK) tracking system. Beginning today, all SAKs collected by a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) will be tracked in Track-Kit, an online system that allows survivors to follow the location of their kit through the testing process.
“This system will empower survivors to learn about the status of their kit at any time and help prevent a future backlog of untested sexual assault kits,” said Attorney General Kaul. “The launch of a sexual assault kit tracking system in Wisconsin is another important step forward in ensuring that a victim-centered approach is being taken in sexual assault cases.”
Florida man arrested in connection to 2010 sexual assault cold case in Michigan
— News Channel 3 Staff, May 24, 2022
"Cameron Alvarez, 32, was arrested in the 2100 block of SW Vista Road in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Alvarez was arrested on a felony warrant for two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to deputies.
The Florida sheriff's office and the Port St. Lucie Police Department helped Sexual Assault Kit Initiative investigators from the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor's Office in his arrest."
