PEORIA, AZ — A man has been arrested in connection with a 2009 kidnapping and sexual assault case in Peoria.
Peoria police announced Thursday that 43-year-old James Lipton was taken into custody on July 31.
The investigation began in January of 2009 when police say an 8-year-old girl was walking home from a nearby elementary school.
She was reportedly approached by a man posing as a police officer who told the girl he was a friend of her mother and convinced her to get in his vehicle.
That's when Peoria police say he drove her to a nearby neighborhood, committed the sexual assault, and released the girl.
A sexual assault kit was collected and tested at the time, but no matches were found.
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The case went cold until the DNA obtained could be retested using grant money from the Maricopa County Attorney's Office Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.
In July, the Department of Public Safety Laboratory received a match identifying a suspect in the case.
Peoria police coordinated with the suspect's adult probation officer and arranged for the arrest to take place at the probation office in Cottonwood.
Lipton was taken into custody without incident.
Police believe there may be additional victims or similar incidents that weren't fully investigated or tested for DNA at the time.
They urge anyone who may have information or may also be a victim to contact their tip line at 623-773-7045.
