Caledonia police say the Chicago man identified in a 2015 rape case is finally in custody and facing charges.
Devonja Rogers was charged Thursday in Racine County Circuit Court with two felony counts of second-degree sexual assault. If convicted, he faces up to 80 years in prison and/or up to $200,000 in fines.
Account of the 2015 Rape Case
According to the criminal complaint, Rogers and the woman met in January 2015 on a dating website and agreed to meet for dinner. Because the woman wasn’t feeling well, they picked up their meal and went back to her home where they ate their food and watched TV. When Rogers started making advances, the woman told him repeatedly to stop. Rogers made comments to the woman that included threats before he commenced his assaults.
Police say Rogers used two condoms during his assaults on the woman that evening before he left her residence. When the woman sent him a text the next day confronting him about his assault, his response was, “you right I apologize for hurting you and not stopping when I should have I won’t bother you again.”
The woman did go to the hospital that night for a SANE (sexual assault nurse examination) kit, which included extracting suspect DNA, the complaint continues. In February 2022, that DNA sample matched another one from the state crime lab that matched Rogers. When detectives presented a photo lineup to the woman, she readily identified Rogers.
Court records indicate a $25,000 warrant for Rogers’ arrest was issued on April 12, and he was in custody on April 21 for his initial appearance where he was assigned a $10,000 cash bond. He remains in the Racine County Jail and will next be in court April 27 for his preliminary hearing.
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