DNA evidence leads to arrest in two North Texas sexual assault cases
A man was arrested and indicted in two sexual assault cases where DNA evidence showed his connection to the offenses, the Denton Police Department announced in a news release Friday.
On March 8, 2020, a woman reported that a male suspect tried to force her onto her bed after he entered her home in the 2400 block of Charlotte Street, according to the release. The suspect fled after the victim resisted. Items of evidence were collected and analyzed at a lab, and an unknown DNA profile was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) law enforcement database, the release states.
On Nov. 7, 2020, a male suspect knocked on a woman’s door in the 2500 block of Charlotte Street. The suspect engaged the victim in casual conversation before forcing his way into her apartment and sexually assaulting her, according to the release. A forensic examination kit was completed, and an unknown male DNA profile was obtained.
In December 2022, Denton police was notified that the DNA profiles generated in these two cases were linked.
Denton police requested Dallas FBI’s assistance for further DNA testing. In November 2023, testing led to the identification of a relative of the unknown suspect. Subsequent investigation into the family lineage led to the identification of 38-year-old Jason Warren, a current Marshall resident who previously lived in Denton, according to the release.
With assistance from the FBI and the Joint Harrison County Violent Crime and Narcotics Task Force, an additional DNA sample was obtained from Warren in December 2023. The DNA was taken to a lab for analysis, where it was concluded that Warren’s DNA profile could not be excluded as a contributor to the DNA samples collected, the release states.
On Tuesday, Warren was indicted on two counts of sexually motivated burglary of a habitation, a first-degree felony. He was arrested Thursday on the two Denton police warrants. He was also arrested on a Waco police warrant for criminal trespass of a habitation.
He was booked into the Harrison County Jail on a total $210,000 bond. Warren was then being transported to the Denton County Jail.
The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information relating to these cases, or any unreported incidents, is encouraged to contact Detective Marqui Curtis at (940) 349-7727.
