An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Maxwell security forces reservist helps nab rapist

  • Published
  • By Jeffery Melvin
  • 908th Airlift Wing
MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. --  Earlier this year the Arts & Entertainment Network's TV series "Cold Case Files" acknowledged an Air Force reservist's role in helping the Rochester (N.Y.) Police Department solve rape cases from 12 years ago.

Staff Sgt. Richard Peterson of Air Force Reserve Command's 908th Security Forces Squadron is a highly decorated civilian law enforcement officer serving as a special investigator with the State of Alabama.

On Sept. 3, 2005, as chief investigator with the Clayton (Ala.) Police Department, he reported to the scene of a rape where the victim was assaulted, raped and sodomized. Sergeant Peterson diligently tracked down leads, interviewed potential witnesses and developed a suspect through the law enforcement network.

Police investigators put together a photo line up and showed it to the victim, who made a positive identification leading to the suspect's arrest.

Sergeant Peterson interviewed the suspect, personally collected a DNA sample and turned the sample over to the State Forensic Science Lab. His request to compare DNA on a national level resulted in a match in the Rochester, N.Y., schoolgirl rapist cases.

The unsolved cases involved the rapes of four girls ranging in ages from 9 to 17, gripping the Rochester area in fear. Unable to catch the rapist and facing a statute of limitations on the cases that occurred in a short span in 1995, Rochester authorities successfully employed a then relatively new technique, a John Doe indictment, based on DNA evidence. The John Doe indictment effectively stopped the clock on the statute of limitations.

Based on Sergeant Peterson's police work, the Rochester case had a prime suspect who was later tried and sentenced to 85 years in prison. The four girls, now adults, were able to move forward with their lives.

Master Sgt. Tim Oliver, a full-time air reserve technician with the 908th SFS, is not surprised by Sergeant Peterson's success. Sergeant Peterson completed his professional military education in minimal time and quickly advanced to fire team leader, a technical sergeant position.

The Rochester, N.Y., schoolgirl rape case profile was aired earlier this year on A&E TV's Cold Case Files episode 112, "Innocence Stolen/Danger at the Door." (AFRC News Service)