DNA evidence leads to arrest of Denton sexual assault suspect

Following a multi-year sexual assault investigation, a man has been arrested and indicted in two Denton Police Department cases where DNA evidence connected him to the offenses, according to a Denton PD news release.

On March 8, 2020, a woman reported a man entered her home in the 2400 block of Charlotte Street and tried to force her on the bed. The suspect fled after the victim resisted. Items of evidence were collected and analyzed at a lab, and an unknown DNA profile was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) law enforcement database, according to police.

On Nov. 7, 2020, a man knocked on a woman’s door in the 2500 block of Charlotte Street. The suspect engaged the victim in casual conversation before forcing his way into her apartment and sexually assaulting her, according to the news release. A forensic examination kit was completed, and an unknown male DNA profile was obtained.

In December 2022, Denton PD was notified that the DNA profiles generated in these two cases were linked. Denton PD requested Dallas FBI’s assistance with further DNA testing. In November 2023, these efforts resulted in the identification of a relative of the unknown suspect. Subsequent investigation into the family lineage led to the identification of 38-year-old Jason Warren, a current Marshall resident who previously lived in Denton.

With the assistance of the FBI and the Joint Harrison County Violent Crime and Narcotics Task Force, an additional DNA sample was obtained from Warren in December 2023. The DNA was taken to a lab for analysis, where it was concluded that Warren’s DNA profile could not be excluded as a contributor to the DNA samples collected, according to the news release.

On Tuesday, Warren was indicted on two counts of sexually motivated Burglary of a Habitation Intend Other Felony, a first-degree felony. He was arrested two days later on the two Denton PD warrants, as well as a Criminal Trespass of a Habitation warrant from the Waco Police Department, according to police. He was booked into the Harrison County Jail on a total $210,000 bond before being transported to the Denton County Jail.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information relating to these cases, or any unreported incidents, is encouraged to contact Detective Marqui Curtis at (940) 349-7727.