Georgetown —  Georgetown police say 32-year-old Tyrone Green has been on the run for two years after he allegedly brutally attacked and raped an elderly woman in her home the week of Christmas 2007.

His freedom came to an end Monday when he was arrested while trying to board  a ship in Miami.

Green was recently placed on the National Crime Information Center data base after evidence matched him to the scene of the Dec. 22, 2007 attack inside the Dekalb Street home of the 77-year-old woman, according to Georgetown Police Capt. Nelson Brown.

Green allegedly stopped by the woman’s house at about 10 a.m. that day and asked if he could do some yard work.

The woman — who lived in that house for more than 30 years — said “no” and walked back inside her house, police said.

A few minutes later, according to police, Green knocked on the woman’s door and then forced his way inside.

Family members said before Green raped the woman he “hit her in the face and busted her head.”

After Green fled, the woman walked outside and collapsed in her driveway in front of some children who were playing. They ran home and had their parents call 911.

A family relieved

The woman was afraid to return to her house after she was released from the hospital.

A family member said Tuesday she has been living with her daughter since the incident.

“She was very shook up and was terrified to go home,” her grandson said Tuesday.

He said physically her grandson is doing better but still has a lot of fear.

When being told about Green’s arrest by the Georgetown Times Tuesday, the grandson said it was the news the family had been waiting to hear.

“This is the first we are hearing of it. They told us they had a suspect but we did  not know he had been arrested,” the grandson said.

He said his grandmother “will be relieved” at the news.

“We want to thank the police and everyone who worked to make this happen,” he said.

DNA evidence

Green had been out of prison for about a month when the attack occurred, Brown said.

He had been serving time in North Carolina on drug charges. While in prison, some DNA samples were taken from Green.

Brown said DNA samples were collected from the crime scene in 2007 and were sent to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

In recent weeks, the samples taken from the prison were analyzed by a  SLED computer and a positive match was made with the evidence from the crime scene, Brown said.

Green was then placed on the NCIC as a wanted person.

On Monday, as he was trying to board a Carnival Cruise ship in Miami, he had to undergo the routine checks made by the U.S. Customs and Border Protective Services.

The Customs agents — as they do with all cruise ship passengers — placed Green’s name in the NCIC and saw that he was wanted in Georgetown.

Brown said Georgetown officers will drive to Miami Sunday to transport Green back to Georgetown.

He is expected to have an arraignment hearing Tuesday. A bond hearing will have to be held at a later time in front of a circuit court judge.

Brown said if convicted on the charges of criminal sexual conduct and burglary, Green could be sentenced to life in prison.

By Scott Harper