A 61-year-old Kannapolis man was recently charged in a 30-year-old rape case by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. The man was convicted of a sex crime in 2005 and is presently registered as a sex offender.

The police arrested the man at his home after a rape kit was tested, and samples in the kit allegedly matched his DNA. However, this is no ordinary case. The rape kit in question had been in evidence since 1981, and the department has been comparing new DNA tests to evidence in cold case files.

According to the police department, the newly accused defendant broke into a home and assaulted a woman who was resting on her couch in January 1981.

The suspect faces criminal charges of first-degree burglary, second-degree rape and a second-degree sex offense according to the local Sexual Assault Cold Case Unit.

The suspect's file initially entered the Combined DNA Index System after being charged with the sexual exploitation of a minor in 2005. The DNA index gives authorities the ability to check unsolved cases against known offenders who were convicted of prior sex crimes.

Cold cases are being given new life with the use of new DNA laws along with the technology and medical sophistication that allows prosecutors and police to match decade-old samples and evidence to suspects. However, it is important to note that the science is not always 100 percent correct. Those suspected of a crime are entitled to their day in court, and prosecutors will have to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. In cases involving decades-old cases, the criminal defense attorney will ask tough questions about the retained samples and the science linking the accused.

Source: WBTV.Com, "Registered sex offender charged in 30 year old rape case," Jan. 10, 2012