The incident is the latest challenge for the Lake Dallas Police Department in Denton County.
LAKE DALLAS, Texas — A man accused of breaking into a stranger’s home in Lake Dallas to assault her and her daughters was released from jail with no prison time after evidence in the case was left in an unsecured police storage area, the Denton County District Attorney’s office confirmed to WFAA.
Jaden Rekanovich, now 20, forced his way into a woman’s house in May 2023 and began assaulting her “with the intent to commit sexual assault,” according to an arrest affidavit.
Her daughters, ages 18 and 21, began fighting to drag him off of their mom, the document showed. When he ran away, the woman and her 18-year-old daughter chased him down as the 21-year-old called police, the affidavit said.
Officers said Rekanovich sexually assaulted the 18-year-old as she fought with him on the Denton Katy Trail. Officers later arrested him on the trail naked and with animal feces on his hands, the affidavit said.
He was later accused of kicking a jailer, adding to his charges that included burglary and aggravated sexual assault — a felony charge that could carry decades behind bars.
However, in January, the DA’s office struck a deal to give Rekanovich 10 years of “deferred adjudication,” commonly known as probation. He was also set to register as a sex offender under the terms of the agreement, said Denton County First Assistant District Attorney Jamie Beck.
Beck said the Lake Dallas Police Department leaving unlocked the evidence locker containing material involved in the case “directly led us” to how the case was disposed of. She said it led to “problems with chain of custody” of evidence.
“Our job is to seek justice and do things properly and correctly,” Beck said. The victims were involved “every step of the way” in the decision process that led to the plea agreement.
Lake Dallas Police Chief Alan Sawyer said there was no evidence of tampering or misconduct, and the officer who located the unsecured locker contacted a supervisor who confirmed that all the evidence bags inside the unlocked locker appeared properly sealed.
“I deeply empathize with the grief and heartbreak the victims in the Rekonovich case must be experiencing,” Sawyer said. “The officers of the Lake Dallas Police Department are committed to learning and improving, which is vital not only for the community’s trust but also for healing and moving forward.”
He said no officers were disciplined because of the incident and the department is in the process of installing a digital evidence locker system to replace the current system, which “has a much greater percentage rate of human error.”
Sawyer also said the department added cameras in the property evidence rooms and put “control access points” on all property room doors.
“Everybody is human and there are human errors we have to deal with,” Beck of the DA’s office said.
This incident is just the latest high-profile challenge for the Lake Dallas Department. In February 2024, a Lake Dallas detective admitted under oath that he said he’d “slant” his grand jury testimony in favor of one person involved in a fight that led to a shooting at a bar.
Also in February 2024, a Denton County judge threw out a murder charge filed in Lake Dallas, citing “evidentiary failings.” The DA’s office called the police department’s handling of the case “negligent.”
Beck said the DA’s office appealed the judge’s decision and was recently allowed to continue prosecution on the case.
WFAA contacted Rekanovich’s attorney and the family he was accused of victimizing. Neither responded to repeated requests for comment.
