DNA links Chattanooga man to rape case

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee(WDEF) – DNA evidence links a Chattanooga man to an alleged rape that occurred back in 2014.

Joshua Wells, 25, of Chattanooga is facing one count of rape after a woman told police she was sexually assaulted her truck in a dark alley.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by News 12, back on the night of September 23, 2014, police were dispatched to Memorial Hospital after a woman arrived at the hospital and claimed she was raped.

The alleged victim told officer she didn’t remember much of what happened because she had taken one and half Xanax pills. She told officers she was at the Walmart near Brainerd Road where she met two men she didn’t already know. The victim told police she agreed to follow the men to several locations around town. According to the woman, at some point, one of the men got into her truck and drove her to what appeared to be a dark alley way where he reportedly told her to take off her clothes. She told police she refused his commands so he stuck her in the head, took off her pants and proceeded to rape her.

Medical staff at Memorial Hospital performed a full sexual assault examination. DNA samples from the examination were sent to the TBI crime lab. According to TBI officials, the DNA samples collected from the sexual assault examination matched samples that were already on file in a DNA data base. The samples in the data base belonged to Joshua Wells.

Wells remains in jail on a $75,000 bond. His next court date is January 12.

A criminal background check revealed that Wells was convicted back in 2011 for aggravated robbery. In 2013, wells was convicted for aggravated criminal trespass. This past summer, Wells was convicted for theft.