socal78
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IRVINE, CA (July 21, 2011): Yesterday afternoon, Irvine Police Detectives arrested a suspect linked to three sexual assaults that occurred in both Newport Beach and Irvine between May 2005 and July 2010.
In April 2007, Irvine Detectives investigating a sexual assault that occurred in Irvine on November 30, 2006 learned that DNA collected during their investigation matched DNA collected by the Newport Beach Police Department from a sexual assault investigation which occurred 18 months earlier on May 20, 2005. In addition to the collection of the suspect?s DNA, the Newport Beach Police Department recovered a piece of evidence that was later processed by the Orange County Sheriff?s Department Forensics Laboratory which yielded latent fingerprints.
Although the DNA in both the Irvine and Newport Beach cases matched, there was no record of that DNA or the fingerprint in any law enforcement database. In both cases, the victims were unable to provide identifying descriptions of the suspects because his face was covered.
On July 7, 2010, nearly four years later, a second similar assault occurred in Irvine in the same residential complex as the 2006 case. Again, DNA was recovered and ultimately linked to the two incidents from years earlier but there was still no match for the DNA or fingerprint in any law enforcement data base. Similar to the prior two cases, the victim of this assault did not see the suspect?s face and was unable to provide a physical description.
Since July 2010, Irvine Detectives have conducted uniformed and undercover patrols in the area in an effort to locate and identify a suspect.
In June 2011, nearly a year after the second assault in Irvine, a report of a suspicious subject prowling in the same area of the assaults was received by the Irvine Police Department. Fearing it may be the same suspect from the previous assaults, and in an effort to prevent another similar crime, Irvine Detectives launched a comprehensive surveillance of the area including daily patrols and nightly surveillance of the apartment complex and surrounding residential areas. This effort has continued every day since it began in June.
As a result of this exhaustive investigation, leads were developed based on subjects seen and contacted in the area. Further investigation into one of those subjects led Irvine Forensics Specialists to compare his fingerprint with the fingerprint recovered in the Newport Beach sexual assault case. The prints were positively matched.
Yesterday afternoon, July 20, 2011, working in cooperation with the Newport Police Department, 29-year-old Travis Dewayne Batten, Jr. of Irvine was arrested. He was later booked into the Orange County Jail for multiple counts of rape and other felonies and is being held without bail.
A booking photo is not being made available to the public with this release due to the on-going investigation. It may become available later this morning. We are asking the media?s cooperation in not releasing any photos of the suspect until it is released by the Irvine Police Department as it could hamper the investigation regarding the possibility of additional victims.
Any members of the public with information regarding this case are encouraged to contact Irvine Detectives at 949-724-7194.
Lieutenant Engen will be available for interviews and additional information today from 10:00 a.m. through 8:00 p.m.
UPDATE: THE SUSPECT?S BOOKING PHOTO HAS BEEN RELEASED. PLEASE NOTE CORRECTED SPELLING OF THE SUSPECT?S LAST NAME ? TRAVIS DEWAYNE BATTEN, JR.
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