John Carter Shackelford

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office today said the books have been closed on a 2006 sexual assault case in Lehigh Acres with the arrest of John Carter Shackelford, 28, a man well known to law enforcement and involved with multiple burglaries that occurred in 2010.

They gave credit to DNA evidence obtained during a burglary investigation.

On September 23, 2006, Sheriff’s deputies were notified of an adult female who was sexually assaulted by an unknown offender in Veterans Park in Lehigh Acres. Detectives assigned to the Special Victim’s Unit assumed the investigation.

During the investigation, detectives were able to obtain a DNA sample of the unknown suspect from the victim. The suspect’s sample was submitted to the Florida department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) in hopes of obtaining a DNA profile match in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and providing investigators with the suspect’s identity, investigators said.

With no DNA match, the case remained active but eventually grew cold. Several possible suspects were identified through the course of the case, but all possible leads ultimately hit a dead end, investigators said.

Then, in January 2011, a FDLE lab report indicated that DNA recovered from a 2010 burglary matched the DNA sample taken from the 2006 sexual assault case. Utilizing several investigative tools, detectives said they learned the DNA belonged to Shackelford.

Following the burglary charges, Shackelford spent time in the Lee County Jail and was released in November 2010. He was placed on probation and relocated to Polk County. After learning of the DNA match, detectives requested a warrant for Shackelford’s arrest. The warrant was granted and Shackelford was arrested on Wednesday, February 9, 2011, in Polk County, authorities said.

Shackelford has been charged with one count of sexual battery. He is currently in the Polk County Jail and will be brought back to Lee County pending extradition. His last known address is listed as 4729 County Trails Drive, Polk City, Fla.