UPDATE: Anderson Co. Man Found Guilty in 2005 Jefferson County Rape Case
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 16, 2025) – On Sept. 11, 2025, George Wayne Aldridge was convicted of rape 1st degree and sentenced to 15 years in prison, where he must serve 85% of the sentence before he is eligible for parole. Aldridge will also be required to register as a lifetime offender on the sex offender registry.
Lead investigator and Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Detective Ben Wolcott credited the partnership of the Lexington Police Department, the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General and the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet for utilizing their collective resources to deliver justice for this victim.
“This is why SAKI exists today. To resurrect cold cases that are, in some instances decades old by relying on cutting-edge DNA technology combined with the relentless pursuit to hold the evil doers accountable,” said Det. Wolcott. “This case highlights the ability to incorporate a multi-disciplinary concept that achieves results never thought of until now. This victim deserved our best efforts and we delivered. Justice delayed is still justice served.”
About the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Grant:
The KSP Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) investigative team was formed in July 2021 after the U.S. Department of Justice awarded $1.5 million to the commonwealth to leverage existing investigative resources within the KSP Crime Lab by transitioning investigators and a criminal intelligence analyst from the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General to KSP. The team works with victims, law enforcement partners, prosecutors and community partners to provide enhanced investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases.
In October of last year, Gov. Beshear announced that an additional $2.5 million from the U.S. Department of Justice had been awarded to the KSP SAKI investigative team to enhance its critical work by hiring additional personnel dedicated to testing sexual assault kits and improving sexual assault data collection to better identify predators. This funding was the second-largest award in the history of the commonwealth from the department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance.
The SAKI grant program, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, provides financial support to jurisdictions across the country to address the backlog of untested sexual assault kits, investigate and prosecute cases, and support victims of sexual assault.
***Original Release Below***
Breakthrough in Sexual Assault Cases Leads to Indictment of George Wayne Aldridge
Justice brought to sexual assault case from 2005 in Louisville
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Aug. 28, 2023) – The Kentucky State Police (KSP) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) investigative team has achieved a significant breakthrough in a series of sexual assault cases. George Wayne Aldridge, who was indicted earlier this year in Fayette County for three sexual assaults, is now facing an additional indictment for a sexual assault that occurred in Louisville in 2005.
“I am extremely appreciative of the financial assistance provided by the SAKI investigative teams and their willingness to fund an innovative investigation,” said Lexington Police Detective Monika Rozalski. “Since taking over the cases in 2016, analysts from KSP, Parabon and myself have spent countless hours to ensure these cases and, more importantly, the victims were not forgotten. Our collaborative team effort and the grant funding provided by SAKI led to the indictment of George Wayne Aldridge in Lexington and other jurisdictions.”
“Our team continues working and reworking these investigations to bring justice to the victims and their families, even if it’s decades later,” said KSP Detective Ben Wolcott, lead SAKI investigator. “We have not, and will not, give up on these cases.”
The testing of the collected evidence led KSP SAKI investigators to Aldridge, and the subsequent KSP Laboratory Forensic Genetic Genealogy confirmed that his DNA matched the profile found in the sexual assault evidence.
The Office of the Attorney General’s SAKI team provided the funding to perform the DNA lab testing, and OAG’s SAKI teams worked closely with Lexington Police Department’s detectives on research and data.
“The Attorney General’s Office is dedicated to assisting law enforcement agencies with investigations. Through federal funding, our office has brought powerful new forensic techniques to Kentucky that help us solve some of our most heinous cold cases and provide victims with answers they have been waiting so long for,” said Robyn Diez d’Aux, Executive Director of the Attorney General Office of Victim’s Advocacy. We want to thank all partners who worked on this case to ensure justice isn’t denied to these victims.”
If you have information about a criminal case, please contact your local KSP Post or call the tip line at 800-222-5555.
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