A DNA sample collected from an accused rapist in a 2016 case in Mercer County has now linked the same suspect to the rape of a woman in Butler County more than three-years ago, authorities said.
State police in Butler on Wednesday obtained an arrest warrant for Cody K. Casteel, 23, of New Castle on rape and other charges in the previously closed case.
He is free on bail while awaiting trial in Mercer County on rape charges there.
Police have been investigating the sexual assault in Slippery Rock Township since Oct. 23, 2014, when a woman reported she was raped while walking on a secluded trail in a wooded area near Slippery Rock Creek.
Then 22 years old, she recounted that a man grabbed her from behind, threw her to the ground, pulled her pants down and assaulted her, according to court documents.
The Butler County woman, who is now 25, told police that she tried unsuccessfully to fight off her attacker. He kept her from screaming, she said, by placing his fingers in her mouth.
He later called her a derogatory name before driving away in a pickup truck.
In Butler County, Casteel is charged with rape, sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and aggravated assault.
