Sexual assault cold case closed after 24 years with arrest of 60-year-old Florida man living under an assumed name in California

Twenty-four years after a woman was sexually assaulted in the Poquito Bayou area near Shalimar, Florida, the suspect, now 60-year-old and living under an alias, has been arrested, charged, and is behind bars in Okaloosa County. Charles Craig Sr. was recently transferred to the Okaloosa County Jail from the Kern County Sheriff’s Office in California.

Craig is accused of a sexual battery that went down in the early morning hours of March 11, 1999.

The victim told police that on that date, she was leaving El Villa’s Lounge in Mary Esther, when a man who identified himself as “Ron”, offered her a ride. He drove her to an area near Sunset Lane in Poquito Bayou, grabbed her by the throat, and threatened to break her neck if she didn’t comply to his demands.

After the sexual battery, he released the victim at the intersection of State Road 89 and State Road 85 before a passerby picked her up and took her to the Niceville Police Department. A sexual assault kit and other items of evidence were collected.

In February of 2020, evidence was sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for a new examination –  and a DNA profile was acquired that matched Craig.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) determined that Craig, now 60 years old, was living under the alias of Ronald Grisby, and in February 1999 he had listed his address as being in Destin, Florida.  After extensive efforts to locate him, Craig was finally found in California and signed a waiver of extradition back to Florida in late February.

“I’m so proud of the determination and ongoing efforts to seek justice demonstrated by our deputies, ” said Sheriff Eric Aden. “It’s rewarding when cold cases heat up again, leading to an arrest that’s been a long time in the making.”

(Source and Charles Craig Sr. booking photo: OCSO)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today   /   Follow Richard on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram