Dallas Police Say DNA Ties Uptown Rape Suspect to Multiple Assaults

Early last Friday morning, a woman was raped in an Uptown parking garage as she walked away from her car on the Howell Street garage’s first level. Last Friday night, police arrested a suspect matching the description given to them by the victim, thanks to a phoned-in tip.Today, the Dallas Police Department announced that DNA testing tied the suspect to the Howell Street rape and a November 2017 sexual assault.

Police believe Dralon Patterson, 33, exchanged pleasantries with a woman on Hall Street just after midnight Thursday last week. After the two crossed paths, police say, Peterson reversed course, grabbed the victim from behind and showed her a weapon. He then forced the victim back to her car and raped her.

After police arrested Patterson and charged him with evading arrest and aggravated sexual assault, they had his DNA tested. Results from the Southwest Institute of Forensic Sciences showed that Patterson’s DNA matched DNA obtained during the victim’s forensic exam.

Patterson’s DNA also appears to have solved another crime. Police believe Patterson forced a woman into a car in the 3100 block of Lemmon Avenue on Nov. 19, 2017, before raping her. Patterson then dropped the victim off, according to police, and she immediately reported the crime and got a forensic exam.