Crime & Safety

Police Use DNA In Arrest of Sex Assault Suspect

DNA led them to a 21-year-old Gaithersburg man.

Montgomery County Police have arrested a 21-year-old Gaithersburg man they say sexually assaulted a woman in Gaithersburg in December.

Christopher Johnson, of the 9300 block of Willow Creek Drive, in the Verandahs neighborhood of Gaithersburg, was arrested Feb. 7 and charged with first-degree assault, first-degree sex offense, and robbery, police said.

He was being held without bond, pending a bond review scheduled for today at 1pm in Rockville.

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According to police, at around 9:40 a.m. on Dec. 7, the 28-year-old female victim walked in an apartment complex in the 700 block of Quince Orchard Boulevard. The suspect followed her in, police said.

The suspect pulled out a knife and sexually assaulted the victim. He then took some of the victim's personal property and fled on foot, police said.

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DNA evidence collected from the scene was run through the Maryland Combined DNA Index System, and Johnson's profile was a match, according to police.

Correction: Montgomery County Police originally identified Willow Creek Drive as being in Montgomery Village. It is part of Gaithersburg.


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