A man has been arrested in Tennessee for the alleged rape of a 74-year-old woman who was assaulted in her Nashville home.
Phillip Hayes, 46, was arrested by Nashville Metro police and faces charges of aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated burglary.
Authorities say the suspect admitted to being the man in a surveillance photo that was released by investigators after the attack.
Police Chief John Drake told a news conference that lab tests linked the suspect’s DNA to the crime scene.
Mr. Hayes was first arrested for assault on an officer, car burglary, resisting arrest and possession of methamphetamine, according to Metro Police.
A neighbor called the police after reporting that a man had repeatedly rung their doorbell and walked through their vehicle.
Phillip Hayes, 46, arrested in Tennessee for the alleged rape of a 74-year-old woman who was assaulted in her Nashville home
(MNPD)
Investigators later linked it to the rape case of a woman who said she was assaulted after completing gardening work at her home.
Chief Drake called the attack a “horrendous crime” and said the community was “shaken and scared” by what happened.
Police say Mr. Hayes has no arrest records in Nashville, but has arrest records in Florida and Kentucky.
Officials said he was arrested in Lebanon, Tennessee, in May for driving without a license, stealing a car and misdemeanor drug possession, police said.
The Independent Gt