‘Dangerous serial rapist’ in sexual assault cases from the ‘90s arrested, authorities say

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man who State Attorney Melissa Nelson called a “dangerous serial rapist” was arrested in June, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters announced Thursday.

Calvin Dumas was positively identified through familial DNA for sexual assaults that originally happened between 1995 and 1998, Waters said.

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“The DNA profile originally developed in this case was a certain type of testing and with advancements, we were able to perform a different DNA testing. The first is STr, the second is YSTR – and using combination of those testing, there was able to be an association done that led to the familial match,” Florida Department of Law Enforcement Crime Laboratory Analyst Supervisor Marcella “Marcie” Scott said.

Waters said Dumas “committed these crimes in a consistent pattern.”

He would break into a home at night and sexually assault a woman, primarily in the Eastside and Brentwood areas, Waters said.

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Nelson said Dumas targeted single mothers, holding them at knifepoint as he raped them.

Dumas told the women that if they screamed, he would harm their children, Nelson said.

Nelson said he was arrested in 1973 for raping his neighbor, and the crime was committed with the same M.O.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison and released in 1981.

The cases were investigated right after they happened, but JSO said ahead of Thursday’s news conference that a “lack of suspect information” led to the cases going cold.

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New information about a potential suspect “put the investigations into high gear,” JSO said.

Waters said there may be additional sexual battery cases connected to Dumas, and he asked other potential victims to come forward.

He said, “justice is delayed no longer due to cutting-edge technology.”

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