DNA evidence links suspect to north Mpls. sex assault

Article by: Star Tribune
Updated: June 12, 2012 - 6:40 PM

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A longtime violent felon suspected of cutting through the screen of a north Minneapolis woman's unlocked bedroom window as she slept and sexually assaulting her was linked to the scene via DNA and other evidence, authorities said.

Nathan D. Jones, 41, of Minneapolis, was charged Monday in Hennepin County District Court with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and first-degree burglary in what police are characterizing as a stranger attack at knifepoint.

According to the criminal complaint, Jones woke the woman up and forced her to perform oral sex on him as he held a knife and partly covered his face with a towel.

Jones later wiped his face with the towel, which police recovered from the kitchen garbage. Also recovered at the residence in the 1600 block of Fremont Avenue N. was semen found on a sock.

Authorities ultimately determined that Jones' DNA matched what was on the towel and sock.

His sentence in 2009 for third-degree attempted assault required that he submit a DNA sample for filing with the state.

Jones' criminal history in Minnesota spans his entire adulthood. His convictions range from auto theft to drug offenses to assault to first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

PAUL WALSH