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Charges filed in 1993 sexual battery in Fort Myers

Posted at 11:30 AM, Dec 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-28 11:30:34-05

LEE COUNTY, Fla. -- A current state inmate is now facing charges for a Sexual Battery case that was reported in 1993, after a DNA match connected him to the crime.

According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, 51-year-old Jessie Hayes, Jr. was transported from the Union Correctional Institute in Raiford to the Lee County Jail to face charges of Sexual Assault and Kidnapping.

The crime happened on August 3, 1993 on a dirt roadway behind the Greater Bethel Baptist Church located on Fairview Avenue in Fort Myers.

Investigators say Hayes approached the victim’s vehicle at the intersection of Highland and Edison Avenues and, after forcibly gaining entrance into her vehicle, placed a knife to her abdomen and instructed her to drive to the church location.

The victim stated that Hayes sexually attacked her and subsequently left her vehicle.  Following the assault, the victim participated in a forensic examination at a local medical facility, at which time a sexual assault evidence kit was assembled.

An FDLE CODIS database search resulted in a match with inmate Jessie Hayes, Jr., who was already serving a 30-year sentence at the Union Correctional Institute in Raiford, Florida for an Attempted Armed Robbery.

Hayes is being held on $250,000 bond.