Man sentenced to 40 years in Deputy attack cold case

A Switzerland County man is heading to prison for 40 years after police closed a 14-year-old cold case from a 2011 sexual assault on an elderly victim near Deputy.

Jefferson County Prosecutor David Sutter says that 37 year old Craig S. Long entered a home near Deputy early in the morning in July of 2011 and attacked and sexually assaulted an 86-year old woman. Police recovered a DNA sample at the scene, and although leads were pursued at the time, the break in the case came last year when new genealogical DNA investigative techniques by the Indiana State Police Laboratory revealed a family member of the suspect. That led to an arrest of Long in January by Indiana State Police on charges including rape, burglary and aggravated battery.

The prosecutor says Long was convicted of rape and sentenced Wednesday to the maximum sentence. Sutter said that due to the quick conclusion of the case the victim, who is now 100 years old, was spared having to testify at a trial.