41-year-old Detroit man charged in 2014 rape of teen after review of sexual assault kits
DETROIT - An investigation by a sexual assault kit task force has led to the arrest of a 41-year-old Detroit man in the 2014 rape of a 17-year-old girl.
Lionel Wells faces arraignment on two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and armed robbery, the Wayne County prosecutor’s office said Tuesday.
The victim, now age 24, was followed while walking home from work and attacked at gunpoint. Wells was arrested Monday. Court records did not list a defense attorney.
More than 11,000 rape kits were discovered in 2009 in a Detroit police evidence warehouse. Those kits contained DNA and other evidence from rape cases, but a majority of the 11,000 kits were never tested in a lab. Prosecutor Kym Worthy pushed efforts to test the kits and prosecute old cases.
She said in 2015 that the effort had identified thousands of rapists.
RELATED: Convicted rapist connected to untested rape kits sentenced to 30 years
Investigations by the task force have led to 224 convictions over the past dozen years.
"We have consistently made sure that our approach has been victim centered, trauma informed, and offender focused," Worthy said.