Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — A man is facing charges 12 years after he allegedly sexually assaulted an intoxicated woman in his home, according to court documents.
Kasim Maklai, 39, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with rape, a first-degree felony.
According to the charges, police met with the woman this June to discuss the alleged assault after DNA analysis of her sexual assault kit was completed in May.
The 12-year-old sexual assault kit was processed through the Salt Lake County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, said Krystal Hazlett, site coordinator for the initiative.
According to police, the woman said that in April of 2006 "she was at (Maklai's) home and was extremely intoxicated, to the point of being in and out of consciousness."
The woman said she awoke to find Maklai sexually assaulting her, court records state. She said she told him no and unsuccessfully tried to get away from him, charges state.
When police interviewed Maklai this June, he told them he'd participated in sexual activity with the woman and "agreed that she did not want to have sexual intercourse with him," police said. He denied having sex with her, according to the charges.
But Maklai's DNA was found when the woman's sexual assault kit was tested, police said.
Since the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative was first funded to begin work in Salt Lake County in 2015, more than 2,000 previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits have been identified and sent to the Utah State Crime Lab for DNA testing.
Related:
Initiative to test sex assault kits will soon reach statewide
An initiative to test unsubmitted sexual assault kits is set to expand statewide this year, including the launch of a new website designed to help victims track their kit's progress.Once a kit is tested, it is reviewed by the initiative's case review committee. If a case is deemed a candidate for prosecution, officers contact the victim in person to ask whether they would like further investigation to be done, Hazlett said in January.
Victims can check on the status of their sexual assault kits through the initiative's hotline, managed by victim advocate Lauren DeVries, by calling 801-893-1145 or emailing ldevries@utah.gov.
Those who have experienced sexual abuse or assault can be connected to trained advocates through Utah's statewide 24-hour Rape and Sexual Assault Crisis Line at 888-421-1100.
