Transient linked to cold case in Arizona

A local transient has been linked through his DNA sample to an unsolved case in Arizona and faces extradition Thursday back to that state, authorities said in a news release.

In September, police in Chandler, Ariz., reached out to Newport Beach police and the Orange County district attorney’s office to find Santos Basilio O’Dell, 32, according to a joint news release from Newport police and the D.A.’s office.

Detectives in Arizona allegedly got a “hit,” or match, from O’Dell’s DNA with evidence they had from a 2004 cold case rape, kidnapping and robbery in Chandler, according to the release.

O’Dell’s DNA was submitted to the national Combined DNA Index System in spring 2010 after he was convicted of violating a protective order issued against him by his then-wife.

O’Dell pleaded guilty in April 2010 to text messaging and harassing her a month earlier.

The couple were in the midst of divorce proceedings and part of his plea agreement required him to submit his DNA to the database.

He was also sentenced to three years informal probation, a one-year treatment program for those who have committed battery and 10 days of community service.

In September, Chandler police were notified that their cold case evidence had a match. O’Dell was arrested in Newport Beach Feb. 2 and is being held without bail. He is scheduled to appear in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana on Thursday.