A 32-year old man has been arrested for a 1998 sexual assault in Long Beach after investigators linked DNA evidence to the suspect.
Willie S. Hines was arrested on January 7 outside of a Lynwood hotel, as Long Beach Police detectives and the U.S. Marshals Service learned of his whereabouts. Hines has been booked for sexual assault and is being held at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on a $1,000,000 warrant. He faces arraignment on January 26.
Hines allegedly entered the home of a 33-year old woman at Studebaker and Wardlow Road, sexually assaulting her at gunpoint in 1998.
“Continuing advances in DNA testing have allowed detectives to re-visit cold cases and identify suspects, which was not possible before these advances,” said Long Beach Chief of Police Jim McDonnell. “This type of improved technology and working together with other law enforcement entities at all levels will only continue to enhance the abilities of investigators to solve crime and remove violent offenders from the street.”
Long Beach officers worked very closely with the U.S. Marshals Service to crack the cold case.
“It is always gratifying to make an arrest in a case like this,” said David Singer, United States Marshals Service of the District of Central California. “In these instances, we are telling fugitives that we are still looking for you. Though a considerable amount of time may have passed since this crime was committed, we are determined to bring you to justice.”