A Shreveport man will serve 15 years in prison and must register as a sex offender for life after pleading guilty Monday (October 17, 2016) in Caddo District Court to a rape five years ago.

Jetarein Damian Petterway, 26, pleaded guilty as charged to forcible rape, for which he faced at least five and up to 40 years had he gone to trial.

Petterway raped a then-14-year-old girl who had been staying at a friend’s house the night of May 2, 1011. The victim did not know her attacker and could not positively identify him, but she reported the sexual assault immediately. That enabled law enforcement to collect forensic evidence that was submitted to the North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory for analysis. The lab developed a DNA profile on the unknown rapist that was entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database. In October 2013, CODIS returned Petterway’s DNA as a match to that of the 2011 rapist, a match that had a had a certainty of one in 1.57 quintillion.

The victim, now 20, traveled from Arlington, Texas, for the trial and was pleased with the outcome. She plans to study criminal justice and eventually become a prosecutor so she can help others who have faced her situation.

“This conviction is a really great example of the coordinated efforts of the different agencies in Caddo Parish dedicated to helping victims of sexual assault and holding predators responsible,” said Caddo Parish Assistant District Attorney Holly McGinness, who led prosecution with fellow ADA Britney Green.

In addition to the Caddo Parish District Attorney’s office and the North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory, agencies involved in the prosecution included the Shreveport Police Department, the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE), the Gingerbread House and the CARA Center.