FRISCO, Colo. — A 67-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a 1998 cold case in which a 16-year-old girl was attacked in a Frisco stairwell and sexually assaulted.
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) announced the arrest of Arnold Eugene Elisha on Friday. He faces charges of first-degree sexual assault, first-degree sexual assault with a deadly weapon, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree kidnapping. All are felonies.
This case began on Feb. 6, 1998, when Elisha allegedly attacked a 16-year-old girl in a stairwell at a condominium complex and sexually assaulted her. DNA was collected at the scene.
According to a Summit Daily News article from Feb. 12, 1998, the teen was from Kansas and was visiting a friend when she was attacked after using the condo's hot tub.
"According to witness reports to police, the suspect had been loitering around the hot tub area before the attack," the article reads.
She told police that the man's name may have been "Arthur."
The case remained unsolved for more than two decades.
Elisha was in court Friday for his first appearance. Fifth Judicial District Attorney Heidi McCollum told the courtroom that advances in DNA technology brought new leads forward and led to his identification as a suspect. Further testing of a sample of his DNA confirmed it was a match to the 1998 crime scene, she said.
A judge set his bond at $2.5 million cash or surety.
His next court appearance is scheduled for June 15.
