(HERALD CITIZEN) A Cookeville man is being held on a $1 million bond after being arrested Monday for child rape.

Landon Paul Powers, 31, whose last known address is Springdale Drive, was taken into custody in connection with the investigation.

The Putnam County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday that DNA evidence helped lead to Powers’s arrest.

“The sexual penetration resulted in forensic evidence,” said Investigator Kendall Hargis.

The incident reportedly happened in October.

Putnam County Sheriff Eddie Farris said the investigation began after the child underwent a medical examination.

Investigators said they were able to match the DNA evidence to Powers because his DNA was already in the Combined DNA Index System’s national database.

“Powers had submitted his DNA to CODIS as a result of a previous criminal investigation,” Farris said.

According to court records, Powers pleaded guilty in 2006 to a charge of child abuse. He reportedly served a three-year sentence for that charge, but further details were not immediately available about the incident.

Child rape is a Class A felony that carries a potential sentence of 25 to 60 years in prison, and the felon convicted of such an offense, unlike other sex offenders, is prohibited from petitioning for release from community supervision after 15 years.  FULL STORY HERE