Attack and rape in St. Petersburg from 2017 now solved by DNA, cops say

In September 2017, a man attacked a woman from behind in the 800 block of 8th Avenue S in St. Petersburg. He knocked her unconscious, then raped her.

The case was unsolved for seven years.

This week, St. Petersburg police announced they have had a break in the case: DNA evidence has linked a 67-year-old St. Petersburg man to the attack.

David Person is now charged with sexual battery, aggravated battery and false imprisonment in connection with the case.

Police said in a news release Tuesday morning that the department’s Special Victims Unit received word from the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, in April that a match had been made between DNA left behind by the attacker and Person.

Detectives tracked down the victim, who now lives out of the area, while also keeping an eye on Person, who was arrested on Friday, records show. The woman told police that she did not know Person, an arrest affidavit states.

Person was being held at the Pinellas County Jail Tuesday with no bail, records show.