DNA leads to arrest in 25-year-old murder case

SARASOTA - It took 25 years, but an arrest has been made in the brutal 1984 rape and murder of a 32-year DeSoto County woman.

According to the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office, James Glennwood Clark, 50, is being held without bond at the Sarasota County Jail after DNA collected from his office matched samples taken from the home of the murder victim.

Janet Sass, who worked as a lounge employee in Arcadia at the time of her death, was found battered and bloody in the bedroom of her apartment on July 21, 1984.

Clark, who was taken to a hospital due to a previous medical condition before being transported to jail, was originally questioned about the heinous crime because he worked at an auto dealership across the street from the victim's residence. Four years ago he refused a request for DNA from the DeSoto County Sheriff's Office, assigned to re-work the cold case homicide.

Investigators say Sass' assailant stabbed her twice after sexually assaulting her. She managed to call 9-1-1 but died before emergency service technicians could get to her.

Earlier this year, investigators found out that Clark was working for a packaging company in Sarasota. They managed to collect enough DNA from items in his workspace to match up with evidence gathered from the crime scene 25 years ago.

Clark was taken into custody without incident at his home in Sarasota. He is expected to be transported to the DeSoto County Jail in Arcadia to face charges. The suspect has no previous arrest record.