Wednesday, June 27, 2012

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- A man accused in a string of rapes in Charlotte in 1979 has been arrested in South Carolina.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police say 62-year-old Jerry Lee Brooks was arrested Tuesday in a rented condo in Surfside Beach, S.C.

A cold case unit re-examined the rapes last year, and a DNA match linked Brooks to the decades-old crimes. He was indicted Monday on charges including rape, breaking and entering and kidnapping.

Brooks was being held Wednesday in the Horry County, S.C., jail. It wasn't known if he had an attorney. Police say investigators are examining other rapes to see if Brooks might face more charges.

Records show Brooks was convicted in the 1980s and 90s on charges including breaking and entering, safecracking and embezzlement. He was released from federal prison in 2005.

(Copyright 2012, The Associated Press)