A Durham Regional Police sexual assault investigation that began in 2018 ended Thursday with the arrest of a 32-year-old Oshawa man.

Investigators say a woman was leaving a bar in downtown Whitby nearly six years ago when the suspect approached her.

“The victim was looking for a rental car service to drive home when the suspect approached her in his vehicle offering her a ride,” a police statement said.

“The suspect drove the victim to an empty parking lot where he sexually assaulted her,” Durham police said in a statement, before adding that the suspect dropped the woman off near a store in the Courtice area.

The case went cold for years before investigators say they received new evidence in 2024 that led them to begin investigating an Oshawa man.

On Thursday, they arrested Sopan Pusparajah and charged him with sexual assault.

He was held pending a bail hearing.