2014/10/15

Lethbridge Herald October 13, 2014: DNA science key for law enforcement

In the 1993 movie Jurassic Park, DNA was used to genetically engineer dinosaurs, which then, of course, ran amok on an island amusement park. Three years later — not in a movie but in real life — scientists used DNA to famously clone Dolly the sheep.
Closer to home, the science is being used by local law enforcement agencies to help them catch bad guys. DNA helps them identify suspects, link crime scenes where there are no suspects, rule out suspects, and determine whether a serial offender may be involved in a crime.
In 2013, Lethbridge regional police were able to check DNA on a beer can they found inside a pickup truck that had been stolen from its owner. That DNA led them to a suspect who pleaded guilty in court to one count of possession of stolen property.
In another case, a man who robbed a Lethbridge grocery store in 2011 was caught because he had robbed a liquor store nearly 14 years earlier. DNA taken from the man following the 2011 robbery, for which he was sentenced to a three-year prison term, matched DNA taken from the crime scene in 1998, tying the accused to the old crime. He pleaded guilty to robbing Leo’s One Stop liquor and was sentenced to two more years in a federal penitentiary.
The robber entered the northside liquor store wearing long underwear over his head and commanded the clerk to open the till. He then pushed the clerk away from the till, grabbed the money tray and fled. Witnesses outside the business were able to tell police the direction in which the man ran, but he was never caught. Police found, however, the cash drawer — minus $129 — and some clothing the man wore, including a tuque and the leggings cut from the long underwear. more