Michael James Chambers walked out of the Benton County jail a free man Friday after his accuser recanted her story that she'd been raped nearly five years ago in Avery Park.

Corvallis police arrested the 36-year-old Chambers Wednesday on charges of rape, sex abuse and kidnapping. The arrest came after an Oregon crime lab matched DNA samples sent in by Chambers' probation officer with DNA from a semen sample obtained during investigation of the rape reported in June 1998. Chambers is on probation for a drug-related crime.

The rape case was initially suspended due to a lack of leads. A sketch drawn from details provided by the accuser resembles Chambers.

Chambers lived in an apartment at Southwest Fifth Street and Jefferson Avenue, but neighbors said Friday that someone had come Thursday and moved all his belongings. He told police during his release that though he was happy to be free, he was upset at the woman he considered a friend and concerned about his reputation.

Back in 1998, police said, a 29-year-old woman reported she'd been raped at the park. Police did not release the name of the woman.

Earlier this week, the Oregon State Police Forensic Laboratory contacted Corvallis detectives, saying they'd found a match to the 1998 incident. The lab keeps a database of DNA samples taken from those accused of certain crimes such as burglary and rape, and periodically runs a check to see if any new samples match those found at the scenes of past crimes.

Corvallis detectives questioned Chambers and arrested him based on the DNA evidence, according to Lt. Jon Keefer. After contacting the woman to tell her that the man had been caught, she said she didn't want to pursue the case. Benton County District Attorney Scott Heiser told detectives the county would subpoena her if needed.

When contacted again and questioned, the woman confessed that she had not been raped, no one had threatened her with a knife, and that she had initiated sex with the man in her apartment. Detectives said she told them she wanted to get pregnant, but feared she'd be told to leave the apartment she shared with others if she had sex with someone in the apartment.

Checking out her story with Chambers in jail, he told police he had no idea how a woman he didn't know would have ended up with his semen. He said he never raped anyone nor had sexual relations with anyone in Avery Park. When police added a few details to the story, Chambers remembered the relationship, but gave a different name for the woman - one matching the woman's new story.

The case has been frustrating for police, Detective Mark Posler said. The staff time and money spent on DNA samples, about $1,200 each, could have been used elsewhere.

Although the woman could have been charged with filing a false report, the statute of limitations for misdemeanors runs out two years after the incident.

Chambers and the city could file civil cases against the woman, Posler said, but he didn't know if that would happen.

John Butterworth covers environmental and rural Benton County issues and general assignments for the Gazette-Times. He can be reached at john.butterworth@gtconnect.com or 758-9530.