Eight years after a Springfield woman was raped, her 33-year-old attacker was found and will now serve time in prison for the crime. Prosecutors said it’s all because of DNA evidence.

“The DNA database has been instrumental in solving unsolved crimes,” said Amy Smith, Clark County assistant prosecutor.

Michael Maddickes, of Indiana, was only connected to the 2004 rape case after his DNA was collected following a conviction on an Indiana felony battery case. The victim had only met her attacker once and knew him by his nickname of “Shy.” He’d taken her to Culp Lake Road one night and raped her in a car. Afterward, she never saw him again and police were not able to locate him, Smith said.

A rape kit taken after the incident turned up DNA, which later tested positive as Maddickes. As part of an agreement with the Clark County prosecutor, Maddickes pleaded guilty to one count of rape and one count of attempted rape. During his sentencing hearing Friday, Maddickes tried to withdraw that plea, claiming he was confused and scared about what it meant.

“I’m innocent. I was just trying to get this over with so that way I could be out in time to be a grandfather to my kids’ kids,” he said.

Maddickes is already serving 14 years for the Indiana conviction.

Clark County Common Pleas Court Judge Richard O’Neill said records reflected he knew what he was pleading to, and denied his withdrawal. He sentenced Maddickes to 15 years in prison on the two charges, to be served consecutively with his Indiana sentence.

Smith said the outcome will bring much-needed closure to the woman he raped. The victim was unable to attend the hearing due to medical issues, Smith said.

“There was relief (for her) in knowing someone was finally identified because she had been waiting for eight years, unknowing of what he’d been doing, where he’d been and what he might have been doing to other women,” she said.