A DNA analysis of a sexual assault kit from a nine-year-old rape case in Vancouver’s Meadow Homes neighborhood has led to an arrest.
Tewodros K. Gebremeskel, 44, of Vancouver made an in-custody first court appearance Wednesday on suspicion of second-degree rape. Clark County Superior Court Judge Daniel Stahnke set bail at $100,000 and scheduled arraignment for Sept. 13, according to court records.
On Sept. 2, 2010, a Vancouver police officer responded at 1:08 a.m. to a report of a woman heard screaming, according to an affidavit of probable cause. An officer found a woman lying on her stomach on the sidewalk with her pants inside-out and wearing socks but no shoes.
The woman, now 49, reported she had just made a purchase at nearby Vick’s Market and was walking when she noticed a white minivan, according to the affidavit. She said she got into the van and traveled a short distance to Meadow Homes Park. Once in the park, the man led her to some shrubbery where he sexually assaulted her, the affidavit said.
The woman was taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, where a sexual assault exam was conducted. She said a bruise on her inner left arm came from the assailant’s fingers, the affidavit said.
During the exam, the woman indicated to a nurse that the van was following her, leading her to cut through the park before the man caught and sexually assaulted her, according to the affidavit. She said she was “screaming and trying to get away,” and that a neighbor called 911.
“No contact with the 911 caller was made by the patrol officer and the case was subsequently suspended,” the affidavit reads.
In May 2018, contents of the sexual assault exam were analyzed by Utah-based Sorenson Forensics, according to the affidavit. A male DNA profile was developed and sent to the Washington State Patrol Crime Laboratory, where it was compared with profiles in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System.
In March, the analysis produced a match with Gebremeskel, according to the affidavit. In May, the woman selected a 2010 photo of Gebremeskel from a photo montage containing five other people, the affidavit said.
When the first appearance was scheduled, Gebremeskel was already being held at the Clark County Jail in connection with a drug case, according to court records.
