CLEVELAND — Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley has announced a major milestone in the county's Sexual Assault Kit Task Force (SAKTF), which launched in 2013.
According to Prosecutor O'Malley, SAKTF has led to the indictment of more than 800 defendants, more than any other task force in the country.
“The Task Force’s tireless efforts have brought over 800 sexual predators to justice,” said Prosecutor O’Malley. “Despite this success, we know that more violent offenders remain lurking on our streets. We continue to explore new avenues to bring others who have evaded law enforcement to justice. Several new initiatives will be announced in the weeks to come.”
In the past week alone, 13 defendants have been brought to justice for cold case sexual assaults.
On August 25, 2007, Angel Cruz, 48, sexually assaulted a 27-year-old victim in her own residence before fleeing the scene. Cruz's indictment on six counts of rape and one count of Aggravated Burglary mark the project's 800th indictment.
SAKTF has helped to bring justice to more than 900 Cuyahoga County sexual-assault victims over the last seven years.
For more information on SAKTF, click here.