Arrest made in cold case sexual assault in northern Arizona community
Thomas Martin Duke (Courtesy: Pinetop-Lakeside Police Department)
PINETOP-LAKESIDE, Ariz. - Police in a northern Arizona community say they have made an arrest in a sexual assault case that happened decades ago.
Per a statement released by the Pinetop-Lakeside Police Department, Thomas Martin Duke of San Tan Valley was identified as the suspect in the case, and he was indicted by a grand jury in Navajo County on charges of kidnapping, sexual assault, and sexual abuse.
"He was extradited and is in the custody of the Navajo County Jail," read a portion of the statement.
The incident, police say, happened during the early morning hours of Dec. 16, 1988. The female victim was working at a gas station in Pinetop when she was kidnapped.
"This woman was threatened with violence and forced into the suspect’s vehicle, who then took her to a remote area of Lakeside," police said. "The suspect is alleged to have then violently sexually assaulted her and left her in the woods."
Per police, the victim was able to get help at a home nearby, and Duke was identified as the suspect due to recent advancements in DNA testing.