A cold case has been potentially solved thanks to a DNA hit. A suspect has been identified by Prince George RCMP in a 2007 sexual assault incident near Connaught Hill.
Curtis Pierre, 27, known to reside in both Fort St. James and Prince George, has been charged in relation to this assault after his DNA was recently matched to some found at the scene of the previous case.
What happened that night...
"On Sept. 27, 2007, an adult female was sexually assaulted in the bush area of Connaught Hill between Patricia Boulevard and Queensway in Prince George," said RCMP spokesman Cpl. Craig Douglass.
"The female was walking home alone, late at night/early morning hours, when she was approached by an adult male.
"The male physically forced the woman into the bush along Connaught Hill and sexually assaulted her.
"After the suspect fled, the victim walked to the RCMP Detachment and reported the sexual assault.
"Although a description was provided, the suspect was unknown by the victim and remained unidentified. DNA was obtained and compared to the National DNA Databank in Ottawa, however no match was obtained."
But three years later...
The DNA in the Connaught Hill assault case sat for years without a known source. However, it was never a closed case.
"Mr. Pierre's DNA was submitted as a result of another investigation that produced a court order," Douglass told The Citizen. "When that happens in those circumstances, the DNA is checked against other files, those marked 'unknown,' and this time we got a hit in the 'unknown' databank."
Pierre, who is also known by the name Curtis Tom, was arrested on Feb. 9 on suspicion of the Connaught Hill attack. The recommended charges have been approved by Crown and a court appearance has been set for March 16.
Douglass had not been informed if other DNA samples might also be matched to Pierre's, but said that all DNA orders were checked against all outstanding unknown DNA samples.
