By Daniel Scarpinato
Arizona Summer Wildcat
Monday August 19, 2002
Tucson Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of the man believed to be responsible for a series of sexual assaults in the UA area between last October and January and currently are on a manhunt for the suspected serial rapist.
Police are charging the suspect, James Allen Selby, with one count of attempted murder, three counts of sexual assault, one count of aggravated assault and one count of kidnapping.
Selby is 35 years old, 5 foot 9 inches tall, weighs 180 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes. He was seen in Tucson as recently as Friday and is considered "extremely dangerous," said Lt. Brett Klein, sex crimes section commander for Tucson Police.
Klein said Selby is believed to be in possession of a 1985 Chrysler New Yorker and wearing a tan shirt and pants.
He said Selby is thought to be responsible for a total of 15 sex crimes over the past four years. The victims, all women, range in age from under 18 to 30.
"We're are very pleased today," said Assistant Police Chief Robert Lehner. "But not pleased enough."
Lehner said police still need to find the suspect, but he stressed the importance DNA evidence played in identifying a suspect in the series of rapes.
In Tucson, Selby is linked to four campus area assaults and a fifth one in May south of UA.
The first reported sexual assault occurred on Oct. 3 when a 20-year-old woman was sexually assaulted near campus on East Adams Street. Earlier that day a man had entered the home of a woman living across the street to demand money.
A 22-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in her home on East Blacklidge Drive on Oct. 31.
The fourth incident occurred on Jan. 11, at about 12:35 a.m., when a man entered a home near North First Avenue and Roger Road, and physically assaulted a juvenile female.
Police believe the man is most recently responsible for a May 30 assault, when a 27-year-old woman said a man entered her home near East 22nd Street and South Fifth Avenue and sexually assaulted her.
Police obtained the warrant for Selby's arrest on Friday after the Cleveland County Sheriff's Department entered information in a DNA database from a sexual assault there.
That information matched with the DNA that Tucson had from the five linked assaults here and other similar crimes in San Diego. Investigators contacted police in Norman, Oklahoma, and where able to match the DNA with Selby.
Anyone who comes into contact with the suspect should call 911. Those with other leads should call 791-4939 or 88-CRIME.
