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Print this story SHARON MONTAGUE The way McPherson County Attorney Ty Kaufman looks at it, the Kansas Supreme Court ruling regarding so-called John Doe warrants issued in rape cases against Douglas Belt contained both good news and bad news. In its decision, released Friday, the Supreme Court affirmed district court rulings in Saline, McPherson and Reno counties. Judges in those counties ruled that the warrants were too vague. Belt was charged with a series of seven rapes in the three counties committed between 1989 and 1994. DNA from body fluids proved the rapes all were committed by the same man, but authorities had no firm suspect. With the statutes of limitations running out, county attorneys filed arrest warrants using not the name of a suspect, but the suspect’s DNA profile. The warrants didn’t specify the DNA profile. Instead, they referred to accompanying affidavits, which listed a specific document containing the genetic profile. Kaufman said it was the first time such “DNA warrants” were issued in the U.S. District court judges in Saline and Reno counties ruled that the warrants were not specific enough.
For more on the future of DNA warrants, read reporter Sharon Montague's story in Saturday's Salina Journal. |
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