Abbeville police arrest man for 1986 rape
Apr 25, 2011 | 2958 views | 1 1 comments | 6 6 recommendations | email to a friend | print
HOUMA - David B. Dore thought Thursday was going to be a routine day. He was going to visit his probation officer in Houma and then go home. But, instead, the 47-year-old was arrested by the Thibodaux police and charged with aggravated rape of an Abbeville woman.

The rape allegedly occurred in 1986 in an apartment complex in Abbeville. The female victim, who is not being identified, was recently contacted by Abbeville Detective Stan Suire and told that a DNA match occurred thanks to the Acadiana Crime Lab in New Iberia.

For 25 years, the victim has waited for a match.

Suire wanted to know if the victim still wanted to pursue the rape charge against Dore.

She told Suire that her life has not been the same since the rape and that she wanted to pursue the case. Suire and another officer drove to Houma last week and waited outside the probation officer’s door as Dore was arrested. The officers drove him back to Abbeville where he was booked into the Vermilion Parish jail and held on $200,000 bond.

Although the case is 25 years old, a DNA match was made possible thanks to the crime lab in New Iberia, Suire said. In 1986 when the rape occurred, the female was taken to Abbeville General Hospital and a rape examination was performed.

DNA sampling was taken from the victim and submitted to the crime lab in 1986. About six years ago, with the help of a grant, the crime lab entered old DNA samples (before computers were popular) into their CODI System computer in hopes of getting a DNA match. But this 1986 rape case did not have a match until recently.

Last month Dore was arrested in Houma and charged with burglary which is a felony crime. By state law all felony arrests have to take a DNA sample. Their DNA sample is entered into the CODI System. When Dore’s DNA was entered by Carolyn Booker of the Acadian Crime Lab, a DNA match came up.

At the time of his arrest, Suire said Dore said he had sex with a lot of women from Abbeville but he never raped any of them.

Suire has spent the last five days contacting people who worked on the rape case in 1986. The hospital nurse, who gave the rape examination at Abbeville General, now lives in North Carolina, where she was contacted.

The city detective, then Lt. Nuna Duhon, was contacted by Suire about the case.

When the rape allegedly occurred, the person broke into the apartment through a window. According to the victim, the rapist was wearing a mask and gloves and carrying a stick.

Dore still remains in the parish jail as of Monday.

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April 26, 2011
DNA evidence is all fine and good, however, securing a conviction on DNA evidence alone is highly unlikely-especially in a rape case that is 27 years old. Without extenuating evidence placing the accused specifically within the range and area of the victim at or around the actual time of the rape, the trial will boil down to a "he said/she said" exercise. Even though arrested in 2011, the trial would have to be conducted under rape statues in effect in 1987. Does anyone even know what such law required? All in all, the DA and the investigators have their work cut out for them.



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