More than two decades after a woman was beaten and sexually assaulted in Fayette County, authorities say they have put the man involved in the attack behind bars.
Joe Louis Arnold, 45, of McDonough, was charged with rape after DNA evidence connected him to the 22-year-old cold case, officials said. He also faces two counts of aggravated assault, one count of false imprisonment and one count of burglary, Fayette sheriff’s office spokesman Lt. Allen Stevens confirmed.
The attack happened on March 24, 1998, according to Stevens. Investigators said a “frantic” woman called 911 from a home in an unincorporated part of the county about 4 p.m.
The woman had been attacked by a lone assailant, officials said. She underwent a sexual assault exam at Fayette Community Hospital.
Though investigators spent countless hours poring over the details of the incident, the case went cold, according to Allen. However, the sheriff’s office began looking into it again in 2019, he said.
Arnold was taken into custody Wednesday after Fayette authorities spent nearly a year developing probable cause, Allen said. It’s not clear how sheriff’s office investigators connected Arnold to the case, but authorities contend the DNA collected during the sexual assault exam nearly two dozen years ago provided answers.
Arnold was taken to the Fayette County Jail, where he remains without bond.
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