JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — A man accused of kidnapping and sexually abusing a local girl in 1999 pleaded guilty to the crimes on Thursday.
It took almost two decades to make an arrest in the case.
Timothy Nelson allegedly abducted the young girl in Somerset County as she was walking home from school.
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According to authorities, he later raped her, threatened to kill her and ultimately left her on the side of the road.
For years, the case went cold before new DNA evidence brought police to Nelson.
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An unrelated arrest put Nelson in prison earlier this year, then his DNA matched that case and two others from 1988 in Maryland.
"We brought Timothy Nelson, Jr. to justice and through that we were able to brng some measure of closure and finality and yes freedom to this couragous young woman," U.S. Attorney Scott Brady said.
Nelson was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Nelson is 50 years old now and has been living in Cumberland, Maryland.
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