Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said that 62-year-old Jerry Lee Brooks terrorized women in Charlotte in the 1970s.

"That was part of his (method of operation) to wear a ski mask during the assaults," said CMPD Major John Jennings.

Now, he has been charged with nearly a dozen crimes, including three counts of rape, kidnapping and robbery with a deadly weapon. He was arrested Tuesday in Surfside Beach, S.C.

Police said they caught Brooks decades later because of DNA evidence.

"It gives us a good peace of mind that we're at least able to go out and touch some of these cases," Jennings said.

The department’s cold case unit started going through the unsolved cases in December. As they ran DNA that was collected decades ago, they found Brooks was a match.

Now they are working to see if he is linked to any other unsolved rapes.

"We'd like to know where he's been since 1979," Jennings said.

Police hope the arrest sends a message to criminals -- and families of victims -- that they are still working.

"I think it gives the victims and families a peace of mind knowing that, after all these years, we are still trying to look at these cases and still trying to bring people to justice," Jennings said.