DNA Match Leads to Idaho Arrest
Decades-Old Sexual Assault Case Cracked
According to Hoodline, In a breakthrough, the Oakley Police Department has arrested a suspect in a decades-old sexual assault case involving a juvenile. The crime occurred on April 22, 2002, when a young girl walking her dog near Laurel Road was coerced by an armed man into the back seat of his car and forced to perform sexual acts. Despite the passage of time, the Oakley detectives remained determined to bring the perpetrator to justice, and a DNA match from the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) in 2022 provided a crucial lead.
The DNA match linked the suspect to a resident of northern Idaho, and Oakley detectives Gill and Pistello traveled to Idaho to collect a fresh DNA sample from the suspect. The evidence collected was then used to file a formal complaint against 49-year-old Eric Ferguson of Rathdrum, Idaho, who lived in the East Contra Costa County Area in 2002. Ferguson is charged with rape, kidnapping for rape, and forcible oral copulation.
Multi-Agency Collaboration Brings Justice
The Oakley Police Department is commending the multi-agency collaboration that led to the arrest, with the aid of the United States Marshals Service, Coeur d’Alene Police Department, and Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. The department is also expressing support for those affected by such violent acts and has shared a link to Community Violence Solutions, a local organization providing aid to sexual assault and family violence victims.
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