Arrest Made In 20-Year-Old Cold Case In Dunedin When DNA Retested

DUNEDIN, FL — A 59-year-old Clearwater man is accused of committing a sexual battery in Dunedin in 1999 after DNA evidence was recently retested.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Gregory Thompson has been charged with sexual batter with a deadly weapon in connection to an assault that took place Nov. 15, 1999, in Dunedin.

Deputies said a 30-year-old woman left her house for a short while, leaving the door unlocked. While she was gone, a man slipped inside the house. When she returned, he threatened her with a knife and sexually battered her. He then ordered her to shower to destroy the evidence.

After the man left, the woman called 911 and detectives collected evidence but were unable to match the DNA to anyone at that time.

Last year, detectives resubmitted the DNA evidence to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which now has access to extensive national and state DNA databases.

Twenty years after the crime, the FDLE was able to match the DNA to a sample taken from Thompson following a 2005 conviction for burglary, aggravated stalking of a child and voyeurism.

He was arrested at his Clearwater home and charged with sexual battery.