DNA matched a 23-year-old man to a 2019 rape of a woman in Bloomington, according to Bloomington Police Department Capt. Ryan Pedigo. The man was arrested in September 2021 in Indianapolis for another rape.
The BPD was notified of the match in January 2022 and interviewed the suspect in Indianapolis.
A 26-year-old woman told police she was sexually assaulted on April 29, 2019 after being attacked in a stairwell of an apartment building in Bloomington. Her attacker followed her to the area of Grant Street and 2nd Street, grabbed her from behind, and choked her until she was unconscious, according to Pedigo.
Here is the text of the press release from the Bloomington Police Department:
“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
________________________________________________________________
February 1, 2022
For more information, please contact:
Captain Ryan Pedigo
Bloomington Police Department
(812)349-3324
Bloomington Police Arrest Man for 2019 Rape
On April 29, 2019 at approximately 11:30 p.m., officers from the Bloomington Police Department responded to the 400 block of E 2nd Street in reference to a report of a female that had just been sexually assaulted in the outdoor stairwell of an apartment building. The 26 year-old victim was transported to IU Health Bloomington Hospital for treatment and a SANE (sexual assault nurse examiner) examination. Investigators interviewed the victim and she reported that an unknown man began following her as she walked to the apartment building from the area of 2nd Street and Grant Street. She stated that as she reached the stairwell of the apartment building, the man grabbed her from behind and began choking her, which resulted in her losing consciousness. The victim reported that she eventually regained consciousness and the unknown male then raped her in the stairwell of the apartment building before running from the scene in an unknown direction.
DNA evidence was collected by investigators and submitted to the Indiana State Police laboratory for comparison to samples in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database, which is the national DNA database created and maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. However, at the time, there was no matching DNA profile in the database.
On January 12th, 2022, BPD was notified that DNA evidence submitted to the lab in 2019 matched the DNA of a man that had been arrested for rape by IMPD in September of 2021. The suspect was identified as 23 year-old Tre Shawn David Bowling. BPD detectives worked with IMPD investigators and learned that Bowling had been arrested in September of 2021 after he was seen running from the scene of a rape. The victim in that case was a 76 year-old woman that was out for a walk. Because of the fact that Bowling was arrested for a felony, his DNA was then submitted to the CODIS database and investigators were alerted when his DNA profile matched that of the suspect in the 2019 E 2nd Street rape.
Investigators traveled to Indianapolis, where an interview with Bowling occurred at the Marion County Jail. After interview, Tre Shawn David Bowling was preliminarily charged with the following as a result of the sexual assault in Bloomington:
- Rape; level 1 felony (two counts)
- Rape; level 3 felony (two counts)
- Kidnapping; level 3 felony
- Strangulation; level 6 felony
In response to the arrest, Chief Michael Diekhoff stated, “I sincerely appreciate the hard work of investigators from both BPD and IMPD, as their combined efforts have removed a very dangerous man from the streets of our cities. My thoughts are with the victims and my hope is that these arrests can bring them some relief knowing that the suspect is no longer walking free.”
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Under Indiana law, criminal charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.“
