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Discovery of rape kit leads to man’s arrest years after alleged crimes occurred

Posted at 9:46 PM, Jun 25, 2015
and last updated 2015-06-25 23:46:00-04

OGDEN, Utah -- "I was feeling better that other little girls out there aren't getting raped," Tammy, not her real name, told FOX 13 News after learning that the man accused of attacking her has been arrested.

She said Troy Bradley Clark sexually assaulted her 20 times before her 14th birthday and four times after.

Clark came into her life as a guardian, while her single mother was at work.  On July 16th, 2008 her mom, Kristan, came home unexpectedly

“I actually walked in on it,” recounts Kristan from the front steps of her Ogden home.  "I see his face every day."

Ogden police closed the case, saying there wasn’t enough information at the time to file charges.  Tammy and Kristan say they never gave up hope that justice would be served.

In February, they got a call from a detective with the Ogden Police Department.  A rape kit from the day Kristan had walked in on the assault had been found, and an arrest warrant had been issued for Troy Bradley Clark.

Tammy says the flashbacks and nightmares started to diminish, but some horrible memories are still fresh.

"I did try to push him off of me, and he wouldn't get away from me is what scared me the most," she said of the experience.

Clark was arrested this week in Arizona.  He’ll be brought back to Utah to face two counts of rape and two counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor.  Prior to 2008, he was a registered sex offender in Missouri and Arkansas.

Tammy and Kristan are preparing to face Clark again, this time in court.  Both resolved to move on with their lives, feeling like justice is finally right around the corner.

"To get on with my life and know that he's not hurting any little girls anymore," Tammy said of her hope for the future.