Yesterday, investigators announced the arrest of the man they say is the brazen robber and sexual assailant with a foot fetish, and found him in a convenient place - prison.

Calling it the second-most-violent series of attacks in Philadelphia in recent years, police said Richard Allen Casey, 47, skulked about in the early-morning hours, robbed women at gunpoint, in some cases sexually assaulted them, then fondled, licked and kissed his victim's feet.

Casey, of West Philadelphia, allegedly assaulted seven women in a three-month period from November 2006 to January 2007.

It wasn't until January of this year that Casey was arrested and incarcerated at State Correctional Institution in Albion for a parole violation, according to Special Victims Unit Capt. John Darby.

While he was locked up, forensics investigators noticed that his DNA appeared to match samples from the victims and crime scenes. The forensics investigators received notice of that on May 1.

Detectives went to the prison in northwestern Pennsylvania to get a sample of Casey's DNA, Darby said.

"It was then submitted back to the laboratory and we do have a confirmation, an absolute confirmation, that this male is the male that we were seeking in those cases," Darby said.

Casey, whose arrest record dates back to July 1977 for crimes that include attempted rape, robbery, aggravated assault, indecent assault and conspiracy, will be charged with multiple counts of robbery, rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, aggravated and simple assault, theft and related crimes for seven incidents, Darby said.

Casey allegedly began his crime spree Nov. 18, 2006, on South Street near 33rd in University City when, police say, he robbed and sexually assaulted a woman, then fondled her feet.

In practically every case, he asked the woman to remove her shoes and then kissed or licked the woman's feet, police said.

Police believe his last assault was Jan. 21, 2007, on Aspen Street near Taylor, in Fairmount.

"We had a violent armed offender out there who was preying on women and we were very concerned about the well-being of people out there given the level of violence that this guy demonstrated," Darby said.

"As I said before, the good news is that he's not in circulation and we don't expect that he will be for a long time." *