California IN BRIEF : SANTA ANA : Judge Dismisses Serial Rape Case

A Superior Court judge dismissed a serial rape case against a Buena Park man on the grounds that prosecutors had not laid a proper foundation for introducing DNA-test evidence against him. Prosecutors can either re-file rape and related charges against Danny Harris, 41, or ask the 4th District Court of Appeal to reverse the ruling by Judge William W. Bedsworth. In an interview, Bedsworth said, “The truth is, I hope they (appellate judges) decide I’m wrong.” DNA blood tests, known as genetic fingerprinting, provided the primary evidence against Harris in a series of rapes dating to 1985. Bedsworth dismissed the case after finding that Orange County prosecutors failed to show the preliminary hearing judge that the DNA analysis was valid.