‘Big News!’ Massachusetts Authorities Charge Maine Man In Decades-Old Rape Case

DEBARYLIFE – A Maine man was charged by Massachusetts police about a nearly 24-year-old sexual assault case thanks to DNA evidence.

Massachusetts Arrested a Maine Man

Charges against Jamie Dodge, 48, of Brownville, Maine, include kidnapping and aggravated rape. In Ware, Massachusetts, he was taken into custody on Tuesday.

According to reports, the sexual assault happened in 2000. According to investigators, the allegations are related to an incident that occurred in Holland, Massachusetts on July 23, 2000.

The adult female victim in this case, according to Western Mass News, informed police that she had been strolling along Holland’s Sand Hill Road when she was pulled into some adjacent woods and abused sexually.

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She identified her attacker to the police as an unknown white man. At the time, no suspects were discovered despite interviews and detectives’ best efforts.

Testing for Genetics and DNA Caused Police to Dodge

A little over eight months later, forensic analysis of the material turned up the DNA of an unidentified guy. This sample was entered into a national database and compared over time to criminal profiles.

The investigation was abandoned and no match was ever found. In 2024, the District Attorney’s Office decided to revive the investigation and hired Virginia-based Parabon Nanolabs to perform forensic investigative genetic genealogy and DNA sample phenotyping.

The D.A. tracked down and charged Dodge using details from that study on his physical attributes and potential leads from Parabon’s analysis. Tuesday saw his arrest in Ware, Massachusetts.