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DNA testing leads to arrest in Pinellas County 1999 cold case

59-year-old Gregory Thompson has been charged nearly 22 years later for armed sexual battery.
Credit: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Additional DNA testing has led to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office arresting the man they say was responsible for a 1999 armed sexual battery.

Detectives with the Robbery/Homicide Unit say on the morning of November 15, nearly 22 years ago, 59-year-old Gregory Thompson entered the unlocked home of a woman in Dunedin and hid inside. 

Investigators say the woman left the home for a short period of time but later returned and was attacked and threatened with a knife by Thompson.

The sheriff's office says the woman was sexually battered and forced to perform sexual acts before Thompson ordered her to shower "to destroy the evidence" but she instead began to scream for help.

Unable to reach the woman, who had locked herself in the bathroom, detectives say Thompson took off from the home.

An arrest in the case was unable to be made until detectives resubmitted DNA evidence to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in 2020.

The DNA profile was entered into national and state databases where the sheriff's office said it received a match. Thompson was already in the database from a previous criminal conviction.

Investigators arrested Thompson Wednesday morning on one count of armed sexual battery and transported him to the Pinellas County Jail.

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