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PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. -- A suspect has been arrested for a sexual battery case that happened around 3 a.m. on February 8, 1992.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, 49-year-old Jeffrey Hogston was arrested and charged with sexual battery around 8:25 p.m. on Thursday, February 17. Detectives identified him as the suspect with the use of a new Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) technology.

"It's searching more detail so we're getting better results, more consistent results," said Bill Schade, Biometric Records Manager with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

The victim at the time was 24-years-old and was visiting the JD Penguin Lounge. She encountered Hogston at the closing of the lounge when he introduced himself as "Tony" and asked her to drive him to the Days Inn, located at 38724 US 19 N., where he claimed he was staying.

Hogston asked her to drive around the rear of the hotel, where he physically forced the victim into the backseat, where he sexually assaulted her multiple times.

He forced her to drive him to the intersection of US Highway 19 and Beckett Way in Tarpon Springs, where he took off.

When the victim reported the crime to deputies, the fingerprints discovered were not able to be linked to any person. The case remained inactive.

"We never get rid of evidence so on these cases where the statute of limitations doesn't expire, they're in the files, we're pulling them and we're working them over and over," Schade said.

Detectives identified Hogston as the suspect after the 2016 upgrade of their fingerprinting identification technology. He was arrested without further incident after an arrest warrant was issued.

The new fingerprinting technology has allowed the PCSO to average 230 latent fingerprint comparison hits per month, an upgrade from the average 150 comparisons before the upgrade.

The victim is presently 57 years old. Florida Statute 119.071 (2)(h) 1.b limits further information being released on the identity of the victim.