New York, New York

A man who was arrested in New York City last week has been indicted on sexual assault charges against an elderly birdwatcher in Central Park.

The indictment naming David Albert Mitchell was announced in court on Wednesday without the defendant there. The 42-year-old has been jailed since his arrest last week on rape and other charges.

Manhattan prosecutors have accused Mitchell of assaulting the 73-year-old woman in broad daylight on Sept. 12. They say the attack occurred about a week after she photographed him exposing himself.

There was no immediate response to a phone message left Wednesday with Mitchell's attorney.

Authorities in West Virginia have said Mitchell was acquitted of a murder charge two decades ago and was considered a person of interest in another slaying that remains unsolved.

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West Virginia State police say the man accused of raping a woman in New York's Central Park was also eyed in the 2002 killing of a woman in the Mountain State.

State Police Sgt. C.F. Kane of the Welch detachment in McDowell County confirmed Friday that investigators considered David Mitchell a suspect in the disappearance of Barbara Flake, who was last seen in 2002. Her remains were discovered in 2004, and the case was then classified as a homicide.

He said Mitchell was a suspect, but there was never enough information or probable cause to make an arrest. Mitchell was charged Thursday with rape and assault in New York City and is being held without bail.

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