FOX CROSSING, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A decade-old sexual assault case from our area may have been solved thanks to DNA testing.
A man is now charged in connection with a case from Fox Crossing, and Wednesday, he appeared in a Winnebago County Courtroom.
There is an increased effort to test the back-log of rape kits, but many kits have yet to be tested.
Over the last few years, the Wisconsin Sexual Assault Kit Initiative has made its goal testing previously un-submitted rape kits.
This week, that led to a break in a Fox Crossing case from 2008, when it was still the Town of Menasha.
“This is a landmark situation. We’re the first agency within the state to have a case, have a prosecution off a hit like this,” explained Officer Dan Wiechman of the Fox Crossing Police Department.
On Wednesday, Aaron Heiden was charged with two counts of sexual assault in Winnebago County Court.
Wiechman tells FOX 11 officers are happy to see this outcome.
“To know that their hard work and efforts have finally paid off and that the person responsible for the crime is going to be rightfully prosecuted.”
The initiative says it has 6,350 previously un-submitted kits. Of those, 3,922 are currently designated for testing. 510 have had results confirmed so far.
Surivors’ advocates say this is a step in the right direction.
Ian Henderson is the associate director of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault
“A lot of the focus has been on rape kits and talking about the kits, but let’s not forget that behind that kit, or attached to that kit is a survivor.”
Meghan Van Heertum is the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, or SANE, coordinator for ThedaCare.
“It feels like a long time coming and it really, kind of, validates the work that we do, the importance of it and, I think, it really brings encouragement to those who have experienced this or who have loved ones who’ve experience it, that there is hope.”
She tells FOX 11 it’s extremely important the kits are tested and taken seriously.
“Essentially, after a sexual assault your body is a crime scene. We’re using that kit to collect potential evidence.”
According to Van Heertum, having a kit done is not easy for a survivor.
It’s invasive and can take two to four hours.
She does say it’s a survivor’s choice whether to take that evidence to police.
“We can collect that evidence and we can literally put it away on a shelf for ten years while they make that decision…I’ve never had anyone say that they wish they didn’t have evidence collected, only that they wish they had evidence collected.”
But, she told us, it’s up to authorities to test those kits and try to bring the survivors justice.
Aaron Heiden’s bail was set at $3,000 cash. He is scheduled to be back in court next month.
