MONONGALIA COUNTY, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Monongalia County Prosecuting Attorney Gabrielle Mucciola announced the arrest of Tony Bethea in connection with a 31-year-old sexual assault case, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the West Virginia State Police and the West Virginia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) team.
The case dates back to March 7, 1993, when a victim reported a sexual assault to the West Virginia State Police.
At the time, no charges were filed due to insufficient evidence.
However, the case was revisited as part of the West Virginia SAKI project, which aims to address and resolve long-standing sexual assault cases.
As part of the initiative, the evidence from the 1993 case was processed, and the suspect’s DNA was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS).
The West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory later made a breakthrough by linking the DNA from the 1993 case to a known profile in the West Virginia State DNA Database, identifying 53-year-old Tony Bethea as the suspect.
Bethea’s DNA had been previously entered into the database due to a prior sexual offense.
Based on this new DNA evidence and further investigation, West Virginia State Police Corporal Matt Sternart obtained four felony warrants for second-degree sexual assault against Bethea.
This case highlights the success of the West Virginia Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), a program funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
The initiative focuses on reforming how jurisdictions handle sexual assault cases, particularly those involving previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits.
