Arrest of 16-year-old suspect Danny Jackson in Scottsdale rapes brings mixed emotions

SCOTTSDALE, AZ - The identity of a 16-year-old boy who was arrested Friday in connection with two rapes in Scottsdale has been released.

Scottsdale police Sgt. Mark Clark said detectives arrested the teen Friday afternoon near Scottsdale and Mountain View roads.

Police said Danny Jackson was taken into custody at a shopping area without incident.

County attorney spokesperson Jerry Cobb said the 16-year-old will be charged as an adult with multiple counts including sexual assault, burglary, and kidnapping. 

The arrest comes just a day after another man was cleared of charges after coming forward when police released a sketch.   

"It is a mix of emotions," said Katherine Blaskovich, who lives near the area where the rapes occurred.  "You hear of an arrest and feel relief and then it starts over."

During a Friday night news conference, Clark said the suspect lived at an apartment complex near where the victims were attacked.

Several students at Chaparral High tell ABC15 that they knew the teen as a classmate.

"We knew he was a hoodlum or something," said one teen.  "But I can't believe he would do that."

On Sunday, Chaparral High School issued the following statement:

We are cooperating fully with the Scottsdale Police Department. Student safety is, and will continue to be, our first and foremost priority.

The women were assaulted inside their homes at two different Scottsdale complexes, one on October 18, the other on October 24.

Tips from the community reportedly implicated the 16-year-old in the attacks. Forensic evidence has also tied the teen to the crimes, and one of the victims positively identified the teen.

He was taken into custody on sex assault, burglary, and kidnapping charges.

Clark said lab work in the case is ongoing saying he was unable to elaborate on the evidence, but they are confident in the arrest.

"We're positive this is the right guy," he said during the Friday news conference.

Authorities have been investigating the attacks since October, and recently exonerated a man who had turned himself in. Clark said Thursday DNA evidence cleared 22-year-old Ryan Festa as a potential suspect in the case.

ABC15 expects to learn more about what exactly led detectives to Jackson when court paperwork regarding  the arrest is released Monday.

Clark also said detectives searched the 16-year old's apartment for more evidence but would not discuss what was removed from the home.