New York City prosecutors say a grand jury has voted to indict a drifter on charges he sexually assaulted a 73-year-old birdwatcher in Central Park.

The indictment naming David Albert Mitchell was announced in court on Wednesday without the defendant there. The 42-year-old has been jailed since his arrest last week on rape and other charges.

Manhattan prosecutors have accused Mitchell of assaulting the woman in broad daylight on Sept. 12. They say the attack occurred about a week after she photographed him exposing himself.

There was no immediate response to a phone message left Wednesday with Mitchell's attorney.

Authorities in West Virginia have said Mitchell was acquitted of a murder charge two decades ago and was considered a person of interest in another slaying that remains unsolved.