Almost a year after a garage burglary, DNA evidence led River Forest police to a Berwyn man who is being arrested and charged with smashing a window and stealing a bicycle, police said Wednesday.On July 2, 2010, a garage on the 1500 block of Clinton Place was burglarized and a bicycle was stolen. Police initially had no suspects, but police found a key piece of evidence — a bloodstain on the drape near a broken window. River Forest Interim Chief Gregory Weiss said detectives believe the burglar may have cut himself while breaking the glass or climbing through the window.
The blood was sent to the Illinois State Police crime lab, which notified the village of a suspect April 20. Police camped outside the home of Jose Bautista, 23, of the 1600 block of South Euclid Avenue, Berwyn, and the man was arrested Tuesday. He is being charged with felony burglary, police said.
The DNA sample took almost 10 months to process, but Weiss said that is not uncommon because it is was a relatively minor crime. He said the process would have been quicker if it was a murder or if they already had a suspect and simply needed confirmation.
“It is common for it to take several months,” Weiss said. “The reality is this is Cook County. They have a lot of work to do. We are grateful they got us this one.”