by KYW's Kim Glovas

Philadelphia police say they have have positively identified the man who assaulted at least seven women during a two-month period, but was best known for one oddity in his attacks -- fondling the feet and sucking the toes of his victims.

Special Victims Unit captain John Darby (right) says the suspect, 47-year-old Richard Casey of West Philadelphia (above), has been in a state prison since January on a parole violation, but foresnics investigators noticed that his DNA matched samples from the attacks:

"May the 5th, we were notified of a preliminary hit -- now all that did was identity that individual who was incarcerated -- that his DNA was compared to the evidence from several of these victims."

Capt. Darby says that after the preliminary match, officers went to Albion State Prison in northwestern Pennsylvania to get a direct DNA sample from Casey, and it was a match.

Darby says that although Casey did exhibit his foot fetish during his assaults, the viciousness of those attacks should not be trivialized. Casey is being charged with point-of-gun robberies, rape and other sex crimes, aggravated and simple assault, and other crimes.