Man arrested in connection with sexual assault cold case from 1995
CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - CMPD has taken a suspect into custody and charged him for his involvement in a 23-year-old sexual assault case that took place near Uptown Charlotte.
L.J. Bertha, 59, is accused of pulling a teenage victim walking along Dunbar Street on November 1, 1995 into some nearby bushes and sexually assaulting her. After the assault, the suspect in the incident took money from the victim before fleeing the scene.
A sexual assault kit was taken after the incident was first reported and additional testing was completed in 2018 as part of a federal grant to CMPD. This new testing identified Bertha as the suspect.
Bertha was arrested on April 10 and charged with second degree rape, first degree kidnapping and common law robbery.
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