KALAMAZOO, Mich. — A Florida man who was arrested after Kalamazoo County's Sexual Assault Investigation Initiative (SAKI) Team identified him as a suspect in a 2010 sexual assault cold case has been bound over to face trial.
Back in May, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested 32-year-old Cameron James Alvarez in Port St. Lucie. The sheriff’s office says their detectives worked together with the Kalamazoo County SAKI team to arrest Alvarez.
At his preliminary examination on July 15, a victim testified that Alvarez sexually assaulted her in her dorm room at Western Michigan University when she was a freshman in 2010.
At the hearing, the judge also found the victim suffered personal injury, including extreme mental anguish in the years since the assault.
Alvarez is charged with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
The Kalamazoo County prosecutor says since Alvarez’s arrest, more women have come forward to report they were also sexually assaulted. The prosecutor says the alleged assaults took place between 2009 and 2014 in the Kalamazoo and East Lansing areas.
If you or someone you know have information about Alvarez, contact investigator Richard Johnson at (269) 569-0515.
Kalamazoo County's Sexual Assault Investigation Initiative Team is one among several in the state going through a backlog of assault test kits to see if convictions can be pursued in cases where they were previously abandoned. The team is implementing a fresh, more holistic approach to investigating sexual assaults, and empowering survivors.
Back in 2016, Michigan State Police received grants to fund the inventory and testing of more than 3,000 previously untested sexual assault forensic evidence kits from across the state, with nearly 180 of the kits being from Kalamazoo County.
You can find out more about the work that Kalamazoo County's SAKI team does at their webpage.
Sexual Assault Survivor Resources in Michigan
- National Sex Assault Online Hotline
- Your Rights & Important Legal Information
- What to Know About Sex Assault Kits
Or you can call (800) 656-4673 to speak with someone immediately.
