HARRIS
A national database has once again helped law enforcement put a man behind bars.
Tervorious Q. Harris, 23, of the 200 block of Miller Street, was arrested Monday, May 4, on a warrant for aggravated burglary. Bond was set at $55,000.
Minden Police Chief Steve Cropper says the national database CODIS, or Combined DNA Index System, helped link Harris to a crime committed in January.
The warrant stemmed from a burglary on Gladney Street. Cropper says the victim and his girlfriend had returned to his residence, and once they got inside, they heard a noise, which spooked the girlfriend, he says. The victim walked around to the back of the house and noticed the door was busted, and when they got back inside, Cropper says multiple guns and two video gaming stations were missing.
“Apparently the suspect cut himself while he was inside the residence,” Cropper said. “Officers took samples of that dried blood and turned it over to the crime lab and the crime lab made a match through CODIS.”
CODIS is a national database that blends forensic evidence with computer technology. Cropper says when someone is arrested on a felony and taken to Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center, a mouth swab is taken and that DNA is sent to the crime lab, where it is then entered into CODIS. He also explained the difference between aggravated burglary and simple burglary.
“If you break into my house, and I have a gun there and you pick it up, you’ve armed yourself,” he said. “If you go into my house and steal a TV, then it’s a burglary. By stealing a gun, you’ve armed yourself, and that makes it aggravated burglary.”
Harris admitted to the burglary following his arrest, Cropper says.