The Kent Police Department have arrested a 31-year-old Texas man in connection to the 2013 sexual assault of a 6-year-old girl in Kent.

According to a Nov. 7 news release from the department, the Kent Police Department identified the 31-year-old Texas resident after receiving a DNA match through the national law enforcement database more than 11-years following the initial incident. A review of the man’s criminal history found a conviction for crimes against children in Texas that led to a mandatory DNA submission, resulting in the match.

According to the news release, law enforcement arrested the man in connection with a 2013 case involving an unknown suspect committing a sexual assault against a 6-year-old girl in a Kent retail store on May 19, 2013.

Following an initial investigation of the incident, efforts to identify the suspect stalled, with the case remaining unsolved for years.

On Aug. 6, 2024, Kent police received a DNA match identifying the Texas man. According to the department, law enforcement linked the man’s last known residence to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Pierce County, with the man having been stationed at the base in 2013, and later relocating to Texas.

A Kent detective coordinated with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to obtain an arrest warrant, according to the news release. In October, the Kent Police Department worked with the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office in Texas, arresting the man without incident. His extradition to King County from Texas remains pending.