A court hearing is scheduled next week for a Weston, Missouri man who has been charged in a 15-year-old rape investigation.

According to court documents, Douglas James Nickles was linked to the case when his DNA prompted a “hit” on the Combined DNA Index System last July. Police say the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Laboratory confirmed the DNA match with a sample taken during the investigation of a sexual assault reported on October 7, 2001.

St. Joseph police arrested the suspect Thursday, according to online court records. Nickles, 47, is charged withone count of Forcible Rape – Sexual Intercourse By Forcible Compulsion. If convicted, the crime carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Forcible rape is among a list of about a dozen crimes for which there is no statute of limitations in Missouri.

A judge set bail at $50,000 cash. Nickles is being held in the Buchanan County Jail awaiting his initial court appearance Feb. 14. Online court records do not list a defense attorney in the case.