Ricky Reinhardt - Repeat Sex Offender - Caught by DNA in ANOTHER case

Reinhardt was first convicted of Aggravated Sexual Battery in 1981 in Florida, when he was just 18.

He was convicted of another sexual assault in Nashville in 2005.

The sexual assault took place in the St. Regis community in Louisville's East end in January 2008.

The Jefferson County Grand Jury indicted Ricky Reinhardt on the charges Tuesday.

Investigators say technology helped connect a suspect who wasn’t even remotely on their radar, and who lived in a different state.

Now neighbors in this quiet neighborhood are relieved that they no longer have to live in fear of an attacker.

On the night of January 8th, 2008, things changed drastically in this dead end neighborhood.

That's when police say a rapist broke into a single woman's home.

“He entered through a doggy door.,” said Sgt. Andy Abbott of the LMPD Sex Crimes Squad.

The suspect then allegedly hid until the woman went to sleep, that's when she says he attacked her, armed with a gun, knife and taser.

“He had a ski mask on, actually indicated that he was a police officer, and had a badge. He proceeded to sexually assault her,” said Abbott.

For weeks, investigators had few clues. The victim bought an alarm, put her house on the market, and took a job out of town.

“From time to time, we wondered if this person had been caught,” said a neighbor. “And why here? Why did he pick here?”

“It's scary knowing that it could have been me,” said another neighbor. “It could have been any of us along this block.”

Then investigators got a break.The suspect's DNA matched that of 46-year-old Ricky Reinhardt, a registered sex offender who lived in Clarksville, Indiana when the rape occurred.

Rhinehardt is currently incarcerated in Tennessee for an attempted rape and robbery that happened three weeks after the Louisville crimes.

During that incident, he allegedly cut off the victim's clothes and stole 13 live snakes from a pet store.

We spoke to some of his former neighbors.

“If he was sitting there, I was afraid to come out,” said Juanita Benson, who lived at the same apartment complex as Rhinehardt. She said she felt like, “at any time he could attack me.”

Her granddaughters say Reinhardt even allegedly circled the parking lot and offered money to girls.

“He's creepy. Why do you want to follow two little teenagers around in a car and give them money?” said Autumn Morris.

We also discovered Reinhardt was first convicted of Aggravated Sexual Battery in 1981 in Florida, when he was just 18.

He was convicted of another sexual assault in Nashville in 2005.

Reinhardt pleaded guilty in April to the most recent Tennessee charges and was sentenced to 25 years in prison with no chance of parole.

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"

.........Sarah Tofte