SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Twenty-one years after a young girl was sexually attacked while walking to school in the village of Solvay, the man believed to be responsible is now in custody.

Authorities came together Tuesday to announce the arrest of 53-year-old Jack Doolittle.

He was a jail deputy for the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office at the time, and is believed to have pulled a gun on the 12-year-old child, and then sexually assaulted her.

The victim, who is now in her 30s is not being identified, but Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick says he was relieved to be able to give her the news.

"There's nothing more satisfying and gratifying to us up here than to be able to say to that little girl, who's not so little anymore, that we never forgot you,” Fitzpatrick said.

Doolittle has not worked for the sheriff's department since 2002. The sheriff's office says he was let go for personnel reasons unrelated to the case.

He was only matched to the crime because he recently had to submit a DNA sample after being convicted of jumping bail on a drug charge.

Fitzpatrick says they were only able to indict him on charges now, because of a decision made back in 2002.

"The history of this case is because the statute of limitations was going to expire in 2002; my office did something that had only been done two other times. I assure you it is your DNA Barcode,” he said.

Because the charges are from 2002, they are based on the law at the time. The charges include two counts of sodomy, attempted rape, kidnapping, and sex abuse.