Full Notification

PRESS RELEASE
 
DNA Match Leads to Arrest in 2011 Sex Assault Case
 
For Immediate Release
Friday, October 19, 2018 6:45 PM                     
Case Number:  11-0004110
 
Contact:        Sgt. Jeff Justice                  (707)588-3574         
Mon-Thu 8am-6pm
                        Cmdr. Aaron Johnson      (707)588-3580         
Mon-Thu 8-5 (PIO)
 
ROHNERT PARK, CA – In November of 2011, at around 2:00pm on a Sunday, a 14 year old girl flagged down a CHP Officer in the area of Redwood Drive and Rohnert Park Expressway and reported that she had just been sexually assaulted.  The girl said that a man had been following her as she was walking in the area, so she started walking north on Redwood Dr. while trying to get a hold of her mom.  She said she noticed the man was no longer following her so she turned to walk back towards Rohnert Park Expressway when the man came out of Hinebaugh Creek, grabbed her and forced her down into the creek where he sexually assaulted her.  The victim had a medical examination completed at that time and the evidence collected was sent to CA DOJ for analysis.  She was able to provide a description of the suspect, however no one matching that description was found in the area when officers searched.  When DOJ analyzed the evidence collected during the medical exam, they located a males DNA but it did not match any known DNA records at that time and it was kept on file if a match ever developed.
 
A suspect was never identified in the assault, until March of 2018 when Rohnert Park Public Safety Detectives received notification from DOJ that a hit had been made on the males DNA collected from the victim in 2011.  The hit was for 39 year old William Deen Brown, who had been arrested for a sexual assault of an adult woman in Rohnert Park in February of 2018.  A sample of Brown’s DNA was collected when he was booked into County Jail in February on the Felony sexual assault charge, as per state law.  Whenever a hit is made on a DNA record in the database, DOJ requires a new sample be collected from the individual to verify the DNA matches.  The notification of the hit is provided to the law enforcement agency as an investigative lead.  When Detectives received the notification of the hit they re-opened the investigation, and saw that Brown matched the description given by the victim in 2011.  Detectives obtained a search warrant to collect a new DNA sample from Brown to send to DOJ for comparison to the DNA collected in 2011.  Brown was located at his new residence in Santa Rosa, and a DNA sample was collected from him to be sent to DOJ.  Brown denied any involvement in the 2011 sexual assault when he was contacted to obtain the new DNA sample.
 
On 10/18/18, Detectives received confirmation from DOJ that Brown’s DNA matched the DNA collected from the victim after the sexual assault.  On 10/19/18, Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Brown for two counts of Assault with Attempt to Commit Rape of a Minor, one count of Forcible Rape, and one count of Forcible Oral Copulation.  Detectives then went to Brown’s last known address in Santa Rosa and took him into custody for the arrest warrant.  Brown was re-interviewed after his arrest and made admissions to being involved in the incident in 2011.  Brown was booked into the Sonoma County Jail on the arrest warrant where he is being held on $200,000.00 bail. 
 
Brown’s booking photo may be obtained from the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department.  No other details in the case are being released at this time.  If anyone has any other information related to William Deen Brown and his involvement in this incident, please contact Rohnert Park Investigations at (707)584-2630 or [email protected].
END.