Aggregated News
Early on Nov. 30, 2011, someone threw a rock through a Bristol Township gas station window and hopped inside.
The thief made off with 56 packs of Newports, $56 in cash, and $3,200 in instant lottery tickets, according to police. As the burglar climbed back through the shattered window, he cut his palm, leaving a smear of blood on a white calculator.
This week, more than 18 months later, Bristol Township police arrested Jimmy Lee Wilson, 54, based partly on the DNA he left behind.
Wilson's arrest underscores the growing use of genetic material to catch low-level criminals, mostly for property crimes, in the Philadelphia area and nationwide.
In June, police in Burlington County said they cracked a $2 million burglary case that involved two dozen houses by testing a flashlight left behind.
Bensalem, with Bucks County's largest police department, has created its own database of DNA samples submitted voluntarily by crime suspects. The department has filed charges against more than 100 people, mostly for property crimes.
A 2010 study backed by the National Institute of Justice found that twice...
The thief made off with 56 packs of Newports, $56 in cash, and $3,200 in instant lottery tickets, according to police. As the burglar climbed back through the shattered window, he cut his palm, leaving a smear of blood on a white calculator.
This week, more than 18 months later, Bristol Township police arrested Jimmy Lee Wilson, 54, based partly on the DNA he left behind.
Wilson's arrest underscores the growing use of genetic material to catch low-level criminals, mostly for property crimes, in the Philadelphia area and nationwide.
In June, police in Burlington County said they cracked a $2 million burglary case that involved two dozen houses by testing a flashlight left behind.
Bensalem, with Bucks County's largest police department, has created its own database of DNA samples submitted voluntarily by crime suspects. The department has filed charges against more than 100 people, mostly for property crimes.
A 2010 study backed by the National Institute of Justice found that twice...