Rape kit testing helps indict
former MPD officer in a 2000 rape
By Jason Miles
MEMPHIS, TN -
(WMC) - A former Memphis police
officer was indicted on aggravated rape charges. A back-logged rape kit finally
got tested and helped lead to the indictment which stems from an attack that
happened 14 years ago.
Bridges Randle, 40, is accused
of raping a woman in her apartment on June 24, 2000. He changed his name, but
Memphis investigators still tracked him down to Atlanta, Georgia where he
worked for The Boys & Girls Club.
"We've been working very
hard to get through this backlog and to make sure all of these kits get tested
and get the results we have today," District Attorney Amy Weirich said.
Randle remains locked up at the
Shelby County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
He is accused of raping a
23-year-old woman at gunpoint in 2000. Investigators say it happened at a Fox
Meadows area apartment.
Police had been there earlier
in the day on June 24, 2000 responding to a domestic violence call. The alleged
victim told investigators that a man acting like a police officer later
returned to ask more questions.
The woman says that man pulled
a gun on her, forced her into a bedroom, and raped her.
DNA evidence from an previously
untested rape kit identified the suspect as Randle. At the time, he was an
officer with Memphis police.
Randle left MPD in 2001 and was
most recently an administrator with The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro
Atlanta, where he went by another name.
"It's a good day for the
victim and the community," Amy Weirich said.
Randle will be arraigned in
criminal court on Friday.
The Boys & Girls Club of
Metro Atlanta released the following statement:
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro
Atlanta has learned that a staff member has been accused of rape and is being held
on bond in the Shelby County Jail in Tennessee. The staff member was stationed
at our central office downtown and was not an employee of a specific Club
location. To our knowledge, the alleged activity took place more than 10 years
ago in Tennessee and does not in any way involve anyone in Georgia or any
minors.
We are deeply concerned and
alarmed by this allegation, and have taken immediate action. The employee has
been terminated and we have prohibited this individual's access to our
organization and any of our operations.
The safety and protection of
the children we serve is the number one priority of the Boys & Girls Clubs.
Our organization is committed to the highest standards of ethical behavior and
integrity, and does not tolerate inappropriate or illegal activity on the part
of any Club staff, volunteer or youth member. As part our commitment to safety,
we conduct criminal background checks on all staff. Each background check must
verify the person's identity and search all 50-state criminal databases and sex
offender registries.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro
Atlanta will continue its full cooperation with the authorities on this matter.