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A Chandler man was arrested Thursday after DNA evidence tied him to a sexual assault case eight months ago, according to court documents.
Michael W. Burks, 33, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman on May 3 inside her Chandler home near Queen Creek and Dobson roads, according to a probable cause statement submitted to the court.
At the time, the woman, who was not identified because she is a victim, told police she was sexually assaulted about 1 a.m. after a man she didn’t know entered her home, court documents said.
During the assault, she bit him on his arm as she tried to get away, screamed for help and attempted to call the police, according to court documents.
Although her phone was taken away during the assault, the woman was able to activate an emergency button on her phone, which successfully connected her with Chandler police dispatch, court documents said.
Her screams could be heard on an audio recording of the call, according to court documents.
On the night of the sexual assault, Chandler police officers at the scene found a bottle cap near the woman’s front door that matched the description of a bottle of brandy she said her attacker held when he knocked at her door, court documents said.
The bottle cap was processed for DNA evidence that later matched to Burks, court documents said.
Additionally, the woman helped officers create a sketch of her attacker, which police said closely resembles Burks. She also later participated in a photo lineup in which she identified Burks as her attacker, according to court documents.
Burks was arrested Jan. 9 on suspicion of sexual assault, sexual abuse, second-degree burglary, disorderly conduct and preventing the use of a phone, according to court documents.
Police said that during questioning, Burks “was agitated and hesitant to answer simple questions such as confirming his date of birth.” He was also “somewhat adversarial and (laughed) at times,” court documents said.
Burks told police that he had nothing to do with the incident they were investigating, according to court documents.
Reach the reporter at chelsea.curtis@arizonarepublic.com or follow her on Twitter @curtis_chels.
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