By Southern Torch Staff

RAINSVILLE, Ala. — According to Rainsville Police Chief Michael Edmondson: The Rainsville Police Department (RPD) has charged and arrested James Barlow Calfee of Landover, Tenn. with first-degree Rape.

According to an arrest report provided by the RPD, in October 2018, a female victim reported she had been forcefully raped in the Rainsville City Park by an unknown suspect. Following the encounter, the victim was able to video the suspect with her phone.

A DNA sample was obtained and sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science for analysis, where the assailant was identified as Calfee. The collected sample matched Calfee's sample from a first-degree Robbery charge in Washington state, where he had been serving in prison.

The sample, along with the video of the suspect, led to a warrant being obtained for Calfee's arrest and entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC). At the time, Calfee's whereabouts were unknown.

On March 5, 2021, the Rainsville Police Department was contacted by Kentucky State Police, where a trooper identified Calfee at a traffic stop in Letcher County, Ky. At the time, Calfee had been arrested and charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and Receiving Stolen Property in the first-degree.

Calfee waived extradition from Kentucky authorities and was transported to the DeKalb County Jail on March 25, 2021 with prosecution pending.

"I am proud of the work that has been done by our department, and by the agencies who have assisted us in bringing Calfee back to Alabama, so that we can bring closure to this case," said Edmondson. "It has been a team effort. This is also a great example of the importance DNA evidence. It was a vital part of identifying the suspect."