DNA evidence led to suspected SoHo rapist

TAMPA (FOX 13) - DNA from A glove, cell phone searches and surveillance video all lead detectives to the suspected
SoHo rapist, court records show.

The man arrested, 32-year-old Johnathan Rogers, has a prior charge of video voyeurism that happened at a Macy's department store seven months before the SoHo attack.

Back on December 3,  2016, a woman in her 20s was leaving the Green Lemon restaurant on South Howard Avenue when detectives say she was hit over the head and dragged into her own car.

Reports show the woman was kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and robbed. The attacker got away, but the crime scene did reveal physical evidence of the alleged attacker. A glove was left in the victim's car, and DNA from that glove was a match to Johnathan Rogers.

It's evidence that will be hard to dispute, explains legal expert Anthony Rickman.

"If he says, "It wasn't me. I didn't do it," Then how did your DNA get there? The only way that DNA could have got there is, he was there," said Rickman.

Documents show detectives with Tampa police also visited Rogers' girlfriend, who identified him in surveillance video and pictures released to the public And it appears Rogers was keeping track of news reports of the crime.

On his cell phone, investigators found Google searches for "SoHo kidnapping robbery" and "Orient Road Jail."

That was his next stop after police arrested him and charged him with rape and kidnapping. His trial has been set for this May.