OGDEN, Utah — The Ogden City Police Department has made an arrest in a string of sexual assault cases dating from 1994 to 1997. They say the suspect, Jerald Leroy McAdams, was arrested in Washington State after investigators were able to use DNA to connect him to the crimes.
The first case happened on December 13, 1994, at around 3:30 p.m., Ogden Police officers responded to 26th Street and Eccles Avenue for a reported sexual assault. The victim, a 16-year-old woman, reported that she had been offered a ride by an unknown man in a Pontiac Trans Am. The victim told police that the man took her to a secluded location and sexually assaulted her.
Then, in September of 1997, a second victim reported to Ogden Police that she had been kidnapped and sexually assaulted by an unknown man.
The suspect, this time driving a white Corvette, offered the victim money to help him locate an address. But when the victim entered the vehicle, the suspect drove to a secluded area and forcibly assaulted her.
The victim in the second case was able to identify both the suspect and the vehicle, leading to the arrest of Jerald Lero McAdams. However, following a procedural issue, the charges were dismissed without prejudice.
Investigators say in September of 2023, the Utah Bureau of Forensic Services notified Ogden Police that DNA evidence from the 1994 assault had returned a match in the CODIS database, identifying Jerald Leroy McAdams as a suspect.
The CODIS database is a combined DNA index system run by the FBI with local and state law enforcement participating. According to police, McAdams' DNA was entered into the system when he was convicted in 1999 for kidnapping and sexual assault in Centralia, Washington.
Ogden Police investigators in April of this year were able to work with the Weber County Attorney's Office to obtain an arrest warrant for McAdams, who was living in Washington State. He was arrested in Lewis County and is being held until he is extradited to Ogden to face charges in the 1994 and 1997 cases.
"These moments remind us that if you are a victim of sexual assault, you need to know you are not alone, there's a community of support that’s here, ready, willing and committed to serving you," said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill.
Police are asking for people who reported incidents in the past involving this suspect or have information about his time in Weber County from 1991 to 1998. Those with information can call the Ogden Police Department Investigations Bureau at 801-629-8228.
