NEW YORK –  New York City prosecutors say a drifter has pleaded not guilty to charges he sexually assaulted a 73-year-old birdwatcher in Central Park.

David Albert Mitchell entered the plea Tuesday at a Manhattan courthouse. The 42-year-old has been jailed since his arrest last month on rape charges.

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.

Mitchell was acquitted of a murder charge two decades ago in West Virginia, and authorities there say he was eyed as a possible suspect in another slaying that remains unsolved.