A man known for approaching women while riding a bicycle and raping them pleaded guilty in three rapes.
Previous newsnet5.com story: West side 'bicycle rapist' indicted for rapes of 3 women
Joe Brown, 38, pleaded guilty in the 2003 rape of a 17-year-old near West 73rd Street and Lorain Avenue, the 2008 rape of a 23-year-old near West 92nd and Detroit Avenue and the 2008 rape of a 20-year-old near West 46th Street and Detroit Avenue.
He was charged on March 12 with four counts of Rape, three counts of Kidnapping, one count of Aggravated Robbery and one count of Gross Sexual Imposition.
Brown was linked to the attacks when his DNA matched rape kits taken from his victims. The kits were tested as part of Attorney General Mike DeWine's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.
He is currently being held in the Richland Correctional Institution for a four-year sentence for felonious assault. In that case, authorities say he attacked a 15-year-old girl in the area of West 76th Street and Detroit Avenue in 2003. He was convicted in 2011.
After four years in jail, Brown was set to be released in May. However, he will now be returning to Cuyahoga County to stand trial on the new charges against him.
The Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force has now led to indictments against 264 people.
