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Advanced DNA technology helps Cuyahoga County prosecutors convict man for 1997 rape

Dennis Gribble, 73, was sentenced to ten years in prison after DNA testing linked him to the 1997 rape of a 9-year-old boy in Brooklyn.

CLEVELAND — A 73-year-old man was sentenced to a decade in prison in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court on Thursday after advanced forensic and genealogy testing linked him to the rape of a boy in 1997, leading to his conviction. 

Dennis Gribble was accused of the rape that took place 26 years ago in Brooklyn. The nine-year-old boy was walking alone by the woods near North Amber Drive and Plainfield Avenue when Gribble was accused of luring him into the woods and sexually assaulting him. 

The victim reported the attack to police. However, Gribble's DNA did not produce any matches in the existing FBI DNA national database.

Prosecutors say Gribble's DNA profile, which was unknown at the time, was indicted as "John Doe #147," ensuring that the statute of limitations did not expire. John Doe #147 was charged with one count of rape. 

In 2021, John Doe #147's DNA profile was submitted to the genetic testing company Gene by Gene. investigative genetic genealogists connected John Doe #147's DNA profile to Dennis Gribble.

Investigators sent Gribble's DNA to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), who were able to match the DNA in the victim's sexual assault kit to Gribble. The original John Doe #147 indictment was amended, naming Gribble as the suspect.

"Our law enforcement agency, BCI and the hard work that scientists did in obtaining this DNA and getting a profile were tremendous. I'm so proud of the victim and the great work they've done," said Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O'Malley after Gribble's sentencing.

The victim asked not to be identified, but took the stand in Thursday's sentencing hearing. He was face-to-face with Gribble, 26 years later, with a powerful message. 

"My life was changed forever when you chose to sexually assault me 100 yards from the school I attended. And I had to keep going for the next six years and be constantly reminded," he told Gribble. 

The victim now has young children himself. He told the court that he continued to press investigators in this case because he does not want them to suffer the same fate. 

Gribble had committed the same crime multiple times with other young boys, dating as far back as 1969. He was released from prison in 1988.

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge Timothy McCormick handed Gribble the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. He will have to register as a sex offender and have five years of mandatory parole after his release.

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