TAMPA, Fla. — Hillsborough County deputies arrested a man accused of sexually assaulting a person decades ago in Texas.
Ricardo Rodriguez, 41, was taken into custody Monday on two counts of aggravated sexual assault for the 2004 cold case out of San Marcos, Texas, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
Now, hopefully, the sheriff says, the person can begin healing.
The Texas Rangers and the San Marcos Police Department requested assistance in April 2023 from the Tampa Bay-area sheriff's office, asking for a DNA sample from Rodriguez. There was the belief that his DNA profile would contain a possible link to the person victimized in the 2004 case.
Two samples were obtained, and a positive match was made, the sheriff's office said.
Authorities did not immediately detail the investigation that apparently linked Rodriguez to the crime. He was arrested on a warrant out of San Marcos.
"The vigilance of both the San Marcos Police Department and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has exposed this predator, preventing him from hiding in the shadows any longer," Sheriff Chad Chronister said in a statement.
