DNA ties man in jail to ’90 rape

Huntington Beach detectives have arrested a man already in Orange County jail on DNA evidence, linking him to a 1990 kidnapping and rape case. Authorities say there is a second suspect still at large and have called for tips from the public to find him.

Joseph Hyungmin Son, 39, was arrested Tuesday on warrant while in the Theo Lacy jail and charged with more than a dozen felony counts, including: forcible rape, forcible sodomy and sodomy in concert by force, along with sentencing enhancements for kidnapping to commit sexual assault, great bodily injury to a sexual assault victim and use of a firearm in a sexual offense.

Authorities described the crime in question as follows: At 12:30 a.m. Dec. 24, 1990, a woman was walking back to her apartment when a man — Son, they say — asked her for directions. As the woman was distracted, two men dragged her into a car and drove to Huntington Beach, pistol whipping her and threatened her, then repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted her. The victim, after being forced to plead for her life, was finally set loose naked with her pants tied around her eyes, authorities said.

The victim was identified as Jane Doe, as is standard practice in sexual assault cases.

Son was in jail on an unrelated charge of felony vandalism, when a DNA sample he was required to give earlier this year as a condition of probation was linked to the 1990 attack.

Orange County prosecutors and Huntington Beach police asked for the public’s help in finding the second suspect, describing him as ages 19 to 24, 5-foot-9 and medium build at the time of the crime. Anyone with information on the suspect is asked to call (714) 375-5066.

“I hope that we can capture the second suspect soon so that Jane Doe can rest better at night, knowing the perpetrators who committed these violent acts are behind bars,” Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckus said in a statement.

Son is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday morning at the West Justice Center in Westminster, and is being held on $1 million bail. He faces a maximum sentence of 275 years to life in prison if convicted of all charges.

MICHAEL ALEXANDER may be reached at (714) 966-4618 or at michael.alexander@latimes.com.