Cranston Police Solve Feb. Burglary thanks to DNA on Glove Left at Crime Scene
Cranston Police used DNA evidence from a glove found at the Farmington Avenue break-in to arrest a 34-year-old William Cosper.
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A glove found inside the bedroom of a Farmington Avenue home that was broken into and burglarized in February led Cranston Police to 34-year-old William Cosper after a thorough investigation that involved DNA analysis.
Cranston Police touted the arrest as an example of Cranston's dogged and determined police officers who carefully collected evidence at the scene and detectives who put in extra effort to find a suspect using the glove.
According to a release, Cosper allegedly broke into a house on Farmington Avenue on Feb. 10 after smashing a kitchen window. Once inside, he stole two TVs, an external hard drive, a passport and a gold chain with a combined value of $1,500.
The homeowner discovered the break-in after coming home from work and told police there was broken glass from the window all over the floor.
Along with ransacking the bedroom dresser drawers, police said Cosper dropped a black glove. Officers Matthew Schaffran and Jon Pariseault processed the scene and carefully took the glove in as evidence.
In September, the state health department's dept. of Health Forensic Biological Unit developed a DNA profile from the glove that was consistent with a single male source. The profile was entered into the Combined DNA Indexing System and a match to Cosper was made on Oct. 9.
Det. Jamie Cahill secured an arrest warrant based on the evidence and was able to figure out that Cosper was living on Whittier Avenue in Providence.
Cosper was charged with breaking and entering without consent and surety bail was set at $2,000. He will return to court sometime in December and the investigation is "ongoing," police said.
Cranston Police Major Robert W. Ryan said the arrest was "thanks to diligent evidence collection and processing by our uniformed officers followed by a thorough investigative follow-up on the part of our detectives."
Cranston Resident
1:42 pm on Thursday, November 1, 2012
Here's the biggest problem in RI. Cosper a career criminal who collects SSDI. Whats his disability? That he's a bad criminal? Waste of taxpayer dollars. We pay so that he can stay home, use drugs and break into houses and when he gets caught we pay again to house and feed him in prison. To add insult to injury the judge then lets him out on $2000 surety bail which amounts to $200. So what do you think he's going to do while he's out knowing he has a hefty lawyer bill coming.....Oh wait he gets the public defender, another taxpayer expense........GOOD JOB RI.........You can't blame the police because they did an excellent job it's the system. Where the number to report people who collect SSDI when they shouldn't be or where's the checks and balances within the state thats says....You can't work because you are disabled but you can kick a door in or climb through a little window and carry 2 large tvs out of a house then sell them and go on a 3 day heroin bender. Sorry I had to vent.
Suzanne Arena
12:36 pm on Sunday, November 4, 2012
I agree. You should also know that we have Sex Offenders, Felons that are being housed in Nursing Homes. Imagine putting your grandmother in a home and NO notification is necessary. They receive SSDI and a warm place to stay among older potential victims. We give more to these career criminals than we do to vets and non-offender homelessness.
All the Police I have spoken to say that legislators do not confer with them when passing such laws and many have said they are clearly a waste of time. Such a disconnect.