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Rape Kit Test Leads to Arrest of 71-Year-Old Man in 1993 Assault

71-year-old John Henry Alford was charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sexual offense, and first-degree kidnapping.

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A push to test North Carolina Sexual Assault kits helped break a 26-year-old rape case. Back in 2017, Winston-Salem police participated in a North Carolina Sexual Assault Kit initiative. According to a press release, the initiative allowed certain kits to be submitted for analysis at am accredited laboratory.

The police department's special victims unit has been following the leads ever since and one of them lead to this arrest. In November 1993, a woman told police someone pulled a knife on her while she was walking on Cayuga street, forced her into another area and sexually assaulted her. The case was closed as "inactive in January of the next year. 

On September 17, police charged 71-year-old John Henry Alford with first-degree rape, first-degree sexual offense, and first-degree kidnapping. Alford was being held in the North Carolina Department of Corrections on unrelated matters. He's now being held on a one million dollar bond. 

Alford has a preliminary court date of Septemeber 26th.  

RELATED: Warning Issued About Self-Administered Sexual Assault Evidence Kits

RELATED: Clearing the Rape Kit Backlog: Will DNA Evidence Be Enough to Get Justice for Victims?

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