The Baltimore state's attorney dropped charges against an HIV-positive West Baltimore man who had been accused of kidnapping and raping a woman in May.

Deputy State's Attorney Sharon A. H. May said Ronald A. Jackson Sr., 50, was released Friday after results of DNA testing proved he could not have committed the crime. "The DNA excluded the defendant," May said.

Details of the DNA testing were not available yesterday.

Jackson, who lives in the 800 block of W. Saratoga St., could not be reached yesterday to comment.

State's attorney spokeswoman Francine Stokes said it was unclear yesterday why 10 months passed before the DNA results cleared Jackson.

Jackson was arrested in June after a woman, who said she had been raped May 30, identified him as her attacker from a photograph. The woman said the incident took place in a vacant Sandtown-Winchester rowhouse in the 1300 block of N. Calhoun St.

Police initially charged Jackson with attempted murder and said that the alleged attack put the victim in a life-threatening situation because the suspect had human immunodeficiency virus.

A grand jury indicted Jackson in July on one count of rape and one count of kidnapping.

Pub Date: 3/17/99