Seminole County rape suspect found in Georgia jail

SANFORD, Fla. — A Sanford man is back in Seminole County to face charges related to a rape that was committed two years ago.

Steven Angle has been in a Georgia jail for the last year, but authorities said DNA linked him to a rape from 2011.

Investigators said the 20-year-old victim had just gotten off work when she was befriended by Angle, who picked her at random and offered her a ride to where she was supposed to meet her mother.

“She missed her bus, so she needed to wait for the next, which was going to be another hour,” said Seminole County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Kim Cannaday.

Instead, the victim said Angle took her to a wooded area in Sanford and told her he'd kill her if she didn't do what he told her.

After the rape, the victim managed to make it to State Road 46, where a passerby found her wandering in the middle of road.

Investigators took DNA and after a year, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement came up with a match from her rape kit.

“It's very sophisticated process that has to be completed, and it definitely takes some time but in the end, it's definitely worth it,” said Cannaday.

Investigators found Angle in a Georgia jail, already locked up for violating probation. They brought him back to Seminole County on Friday, where he's no stranger to local authorities, booked numerous times for burglary and grand theft.

Angle has since posted bond and is back home while he awaits his next court date.

Investigators credit the victim, who is now 22, for coming forward right after the rape and providing them with information and evidence.

WFTV