EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WZZM) -- A new state law has led to an arrest in a 2001 sexual assault that had become a cold case.
Jody Alan Howland, 51, was arraigned Tuesday in Kent County on charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Howland is accused of sexually assaulting a then 23-year-old woman in the early hours of Feb. 9, 2001, just inside the East Grand Rapids city limits as she walked home from a neighborhood bar.
Howland is already behind bars, serving time in Macomb County Jail on drug charges.
A new state law, signed by Gov. Rick Snyder in January, requires DNA samples to be taken at the time of arrest from any person accused of committing or attempting to commit a felony.
The Michigan State Police Forensic Laboratory matched his DNA to the 2001 sexual assault using the Michigan Convicted Offender Database.
MSP has matched Howland's DNA to two other sexual assaults:
•December 2003 in Plano, Texas – The suspect entered an unlocked apartment and sexually assaulted a woman as she cleaned
•April 2004 in Dallas, Texas – The suspect sexually assaulted a woman who had been sleeping
"We appreciate the hard work and due diligence shown by the Michigan State Police crime lab in helping us make an arrest in this case," East Grand Rapids Public Safety Captain Brian Williams said. "This is a great example of law enforcement agencies working together to solve cases. It also illustrates the important tool we have in the new law in improving public safety."
This is the first time Howland has been arrested for sexual assault.
