By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
A Victoria man currently in the Ellis County jail has been identified as a suspect in a rape case dating back to March 2014.
Cody Schultz, 32, was arrested on Dec. 20, 2019, on suspicion of aggravated criminal sodomy of a child under 14 and electronic solicitation of a child under 14 for a crime that was alleged to have occurred on Dec. 16, 2019.
“The victim reported that she met a young man on social media and agreed to meet him at the park,” the Hays Police Department said at the time. “At the park, the young man reportedly physically restrained the victim and then sexually assaulted her. The suspect then fled the park. The victim ran from the scene with another female and then called the police.”
After the arrest, another count alleged electronic solicitation of a child under the age of 14 was added to the charges relating to a September 2019 incident, according to Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees.
The children, in those cases, were aged 12 and 13, he said.
He was formally charged on Jan. 3, 2020, and remained in the Ellis County jail in lieu of a $450,000 bond, Drees said.
"After he was arrested, Lt. Ridgeway worked the original case in 2014 and saw the similarities and asked the (Kansas Bureau of Investigation) to compare the samples collected and we got a hit on the DNA,” said Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler.
The victim in that case was 18.
During a bond hearing on Sept. 22 establishing probable cause for the 2014 case, his bond was increased to $500,000, Dress said.
The county attorney has until Sept. 29 to file charges.
In the meantime, Scheibler said identifying Schultz as a suspect was “good police work.”
“We were grateful for the work by Lt. Ridgeway,” Scheibler said. “Five years later and he sees the case similarities and it piqued his interest so he has the KBI do some follow up.”
“At the time, it was frustrating for him, but he did good work upfront,” said HPD deputy chief Brian Dawson.
The work in 2014 allowed the connection to be made by comparing DNA from both cases with the assistance of the KBI.
“That doesn’t happen a whole lot, but thanks to technology and good police work and good follow-up,” Dawson said.
Scheibler also credited the victim for coming forward.
“(It was) the courage of the victim to go through the examination that allowed us to collect that valuable evidence. Again, we are grateful we are able to hold people accountable for their actions,” Scheibler said.
He said the arrest is a proud moment for the department.
While Schultz has been implicated in the crimes, Drees said it is important to remember arrests do not imply guilt.
“All arrests on all charges are allegations of criminal wrongdoing and the defendant maintains the presumption of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law,” Drees said.