DNA links man to assault in 1986Investigators looking into 22 old cases By Noah Haglund (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Thursday, May 22, 2008
The Post and Courier Alphonso Varner SUMMERVILLE — DNA evidence has linked a second suspect to a rape and kidnapping that occurred during a spree of similar crimes here in the 1980s, police said. Officers served Alphonso Varner, 44, with warrants charging him with kidnapping and sexual assault on Monday. Varner, who is serving prison time for an unrelated crime, is accused of assaulting a woman on Dec. 12, 1986. The development follows the arrest of another man authorities said is linked through DNA to assaults in Summerville and Dorchester County. All told, investigators are looking into 22 cases from the 1980s, most involving women assaulted in public places, said Capt. Jon Rogers, a Summerville police detective. "It's still a very active investigation," Rogers said Wednesday. In the latest charges, Varner is accused of taking a woman from the Heritage Square Shopping Center, taking her to the Brownsville area and sexually assaulting her, a release says. Police also are investigating him in connection with other open cases, according to the release. Varner received a $200,000 surety bond on Tuesday and remained in custody with the state Department of Corrections. A state criminal background check shows he is serving a 13-year sentence for a strong-arm robbery in Dorchester County. He began his sentence in 2005 and his current projected parole date is in March 2009, according to the Corrections Department Web site. SLED records show Varner has earlier convictions for an armed robbery in Dorchester County in 1990, possession of crack cocaine in Summerville in 1996 and a strong-arm robbery in Summerville in 1998. The other man charged with unsolved rapes also was behind bars. At the end of April, Summerville police and Dorchester County sheriff's investigators announced that they had filed four charges of kidnapping and four charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct against Herman Sammie Rigby Jr., 50. The charges relate to four women raped between March and September 1987. At least one of the women has since died, authorities said. Rigby, formerly of Georgetown, has been in a state prison since 2002 on a charge of common law robbery, according to the Corrections Department's Web site. Rigby's criminal history dates back to 1983 and includes convictions for grand larceny, entering a bank to steal and criminal domestic violence, his record shows. Reach Noah Haglund at 937-5550 or nhaglund@postandcourier.com. |
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Comments
This article has 14 comment(s)
Posted by skyguy51 on May 22, 2008 at 6:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
3 prior convictions, serving a 13 year sentence for strong arm robbery and is eligible for parole after 4 years! So much for locking em up and throwing away the key.
Posted by ColdBeer on May 22, 2008 at 6:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Let me get this in before his family and friends log on and strart spewing what a great guy he is...
DEATH PENALTY!
Posted by SomeTruthPlease on May 22, 2008 at 7:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ColdBeer, I have to agree with you on this one.
Posted by ms_lady2u on May 22, 2008 at 7:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Kill Him!
Posted by lexylady on May 22, 2008 at 7:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What a disgrace to the human race. Never let him out. I am so glad some of these older crimes are being solved.
Posted by Early on May 22, 2008 at 8:10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm going out on a limb here and say it's no big deal to him, he's got his bitch, cable TV, weight room , three squares and an income, he solid!
Posted by abitskeptical on May 22, 2008 at 8:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Another example of what I've been saying over & over...
jails are filled with people charged with minor petty victim less non-violent crimes & the people who are real threats to the personal safety of the public continue to roam the streets....
Maybe this time the "powers that be" will do what they were obligated to do & should have done years ago: Protect the rest of us from this menace.
Posted by sbs920 on May 22, 2008 at 9:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
looks like another democrat that won't be voting this November. . .
Posted by RTC on May 22, 2008 at 10:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
So, a poor woman was assaulted 22 yrs. ago, and now her attacker is finally found.
I hope this helps the lady to find some peace in her life.
How horrible to go all of these years wondering where the person that assaulted you may be, and whether you could be attacked again.
Posted by FiscalConservative on May 22, 2008 at 11:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This man should be freed at once. Don't you all know that a higher percentage of black people are incarcerated than whites. We need to release them until the ratios are equal. Everyone should be represented equal.
Posted by eyfigueroa on May 22, 2008 at 11:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ahhhh sarcasm. You gotta love it!
Posted by highclass on May 22, 2008 at 12:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree fry him!
Posted by lillycollette on May 23, 2008 at 4:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
..."investigators are looking into 22 cases from the 1980s"...
WELL -- ITS ABOUT TIME!
Posted by IKnowMe on May 23, 2008 at 1 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How did I know this was going to turn into a race thing??? Seriously, Fiscal Conservative?!?!? You are such a joke. In no way am I condoning what this man did. I think they should throw the book at him. He definitely deserves the maximum sentence he can get! How does sick people like this get out in the 1st place?