DNA evidence leads to a suspect in a Dougherty County convenience store burglary nearly three years after the crime.
An Albany man, currently in prison for other crimes, is now charged with a 2009 break-in at a Fast Lane convenience store.
His DNA, put in a GBI computer database when he was incarcerated, matched DNA found at the store.
South Georgia law enforcement tells us the GBI crime lab is going through backlogged evidence of crimes looking again for DNA matches.
And investigators say they are finding more and more of them.
September 30, 2009, about 3 a.m. someone breaking into the then Express Lane convenience store and took a Money Gram Money Order machine. Crime scene photos show the blood left behind.
"The front glass window was broken and when the offender reached through the window to steal the money order machine, he was cut on the glass. We were able to recover some of the blood there at the scene," said Dougherty County Police Sergeant, Chad Kirkpatrick.
That blood was given to the GBI crime lab, but there was no match to identify the burglar. Until last week.
"We received information from the GBI that a new convicted offender who had just been sentenced to prison, that his DNA matched the DNA at our crime scene," said Kirkpatrick.
39 year old Sedrick Brown in May began serving a 12 year sentence for aggravated assault at Wheeler Correctional Institute.
When he went into the Department of Corrections, his DNA was entered into the state's Combined DNA Index System, a database of convicted felons run by the GBI.
CODIS matched Brown's DNA sample to the blood from the convenience store.
Dougherty County Detectives investigated their new suspect, and Monday issued warrants for burglary, theft by taking, and criminal trespass against Brown.
"That process helped solve our case," said Kirkpatrick.
Attorney Pete Donaldson, who has worked on DNA since the 1990's, said the science and application today is much better, and it's use is good for justice.
"It is science. It is information. It is knowledge. And it's a tool. It will exonerate some folks and it will help convict some people. And it's being used more and more, and validly so," said Pete Donaldson, Attorney
Investigators think as the state's DNA database grows, more crimes could be solved.
"The more people get sentenced to prison, normally it's not their first time committing a crime," said Kirkpatrick.
And more long unsolved crimes could suddenly have new leads.
Dougherty County Detectives arrested several people in Dougherty and Terrell Counties for selling money orders made with that stolen machine, but could never find out who stole it in the first place until now.
Even though Brown is already serving a 12 year prison sentence, he will be charged with burglary and theft, which could get him additional prison time if convicted.
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