26 October 2011

Cigar Butt Left at Scene Leads Police to Suspect

Cigar Butt Left at Scene Leads Police to Suspect

DNA from a cigar butt helped Lower Southampton police track down a Philadelphia man, wanted for a 2009 burglary and fleeing police, investigators told PhillyBurbs.com.

Police say the suspect, 45-year old Timothy Hriczo, led authorities on a high-speed chase in a stolen station wagon through Bensalem and Philadelphia back in July of 2009. He managed to escape from police, leaving behind the stolen car, and some personal items, including a hat, gloves, screwdriver, and cigar butt, according to PhillyBurbs.com.

A backlog at the state police DNA lab put the investigation on hold until this past summer, when lab technicians were able to link the DNA on the cigar to Hriczo, who was in a database of convicted felons, police told PhillyBurbs.com.

He was arrested last week when he showed up for an appointment with his probation officer.  Hriczo could now spend more than a decade behind bars.

He is currently being held at Bucks County prison in lieu of $100,000 bail.

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