Program links crimes, criminals

Local police agencies using new DNA analysis lab to clear property cases

On a late September evening, a North Charleston woman arrived at her house to find a scene every homeowner dreads. The front door stood open, jagged glass poked from a broken window, drawers and cabinets hung open, violated.

More than $1,800 worth of cameras, electronics, jewelry and other belonging were gone. No one had seen the burglar. All he left behind was a flashlight and some blood, police said.

That proved to be enough, as investigators used the blood to develop a genetic profile that led police to a suspect in the break-in.

The case is among more than two dozen local property crimes solved through a novel new DNA analysis program. Investigators from Charleston, North Charleston, Charleston County and Mount Pleasant have partnered with the Marshall University Forensic Science Center in West Virginia to use genetic evidence to solve property crimes.

The project is already paying off, said Judy Gordon, director of the Charleston police forensic services division. Of 55 DNA profiles entered into state and federal databanks, 27 have resulted in genetic matches with known criminals, she said.

"The success of the project has exceeded our wildest expectations," she said.

Charleston police have been the biggest beneficiaries so far, with 18 cases cleared. The program also has produced suspect matches in five cases for the Sheriff's Office and four for North Charleston police, Gordon said.

"Several arrests have been made and warrants issued," she said.

Some of the cases were solved before the DNA testing produced a match, but the results helped confirm that police had the right suspect in custody and provided additional hard evidence for investigators to take to trial, Gordon said.

North Charleston police Lt. Scott Deckard said that scenario played out with a burglary suspect in his city, helping police build a stronger case against the man. The program also has pinpointed suspects in crimes in which police had no eyewitnesses and little to suggest a possible culprit, he said.

"Any time you have a resource like that, it can certainly further an investigation," he said.

Many state crime labs are too overburdened testing evidence from homicides, rapes and other violent offenses to bother with property crimes.

The federally funded program at Marshall is an attempt to provide some help in that area.

National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center-Southeast in North Charleston helped initiate and coordinate the project after learning of successes generated by a similar partnership between Marshall and police in Florida's Miami-Dade County, Gordon said.

Police here said they are pleased with the results, and more cases are in the works.

Robert Knoth, manager of Carolina Polo and Carriage Co. in Charleston, rather likes the project as well.

DNA testing helped build a case against a suspect who broke into the company's Hayne Street building in December and stole cash and tools, police said.

Knoth said he realizes the crime might not rate the same level of public alarm as a homicide or a bank robbery, but someone should be held accountable nonetheless.

"Any time you get broken into, you feel violated," he said, "and that's a problem."

Reach Glenn Smith at 937-5556 or gsmith@postandcourier.com.