Man, 38, arraigned in 2002 Tacoma rape case
A 38-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a Tacoma woman nearly a decade ago has been arraigned and ordered held in jail in lieu of $750,000 bail.
Pierce County prosecutors have charged Brian Brent with first-degree rape, first-degree burglary with sexual motivation, and second-degree assault with sexual motivation in the June 2, 2002, incident. Brent, who has been in prison on unrelated charges, was arraigned Tuesday.
Prosecutors say a DNA sample taken after Brent’s prior conviction matched evidence from the rape case.
In that incident, a woman told police she was attacked after she left a door of her home in the 5000 block North Bristol Street unlocked for her boyfriend and went to sleep. She woke an hour later to find an intruder standing over her. The intruder sexually assaulted her and left.
The woman underwent a sexual assault exam at a local hospital, and evidence was collected and sent to the state crime lab, where it later was compared to the state’s database of convicted felons and eventually linked to Brent.
His next court appearance is scheduled for June 29.
stacey.mulick @thenewstribune.com
