Serial rape suspect pleads not guilty

Thursday, March 3, 2005 | 9:43 a.m.

A 38-year-old man accused of committing a series of rapes in the late 1990s pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of sexual assault and multiple charges of kidnapping, robbery and burglary on Wednesday.

Dushon Green is scheduled to stand trial on May 16 before District Judge David Wall.

Five victims testified at Green's two-day preliminary hearing that a man wearing dark clothing and gloves broke into their apartments. Each of them said the man who raped them also choked them or covered their mouths and noses in order to keep them from screaming.

Metro Police DNA analyst David Welch testified that the DNA samples taken from the women -- all of whom were sexually assaulted in the late 1990s in apartments spanning about a 20-block radius in eastern Las Vegas -- matched with Green's DNA.

Green's attorney, Michael Gowdey, argues Green's DNA sample was illegally taken by Green's probation officer. Gowdey told Wall that within 21 days of receipt of the transcript of the preliminary hearing, Gowdey will be filing motions to contest the way Green's DNA was taken.

Under Nevada law a DNA sample can only be taken from an individual by judge's order, with a legal search warrant or if the person has committed certain crimes.

When his DNA sample was taken, Green was on probation for a gross misdemeanor conviction of attempted pandering, a charge that under Nevada law doesn't require DNA testing. Green remained jailed Wednesday at the Clark County Detention Center on $620,000 bail.