DNA leads police to suspect

By Journal Times staff

Wednesday, August 20, 2008 6:14 PM CDT

RACINE — Blood left at the scene of a crime in the spring of 2006 gave police the name of a suspect.

DNA from the blood, left inside a LaSalle Street home between March 29 and April 1, 2006 — matched a known offender in the state’s database.

Someone broke into the home more than two years ago, gaining entry through the back door. Once inside, the offender cut and removed 100 feet of half-inch copper water pipe, worth about $150, from the residence.

Police believe the offender cut himself on the dropped ceiling frame, leaving blood behind at the scene. Evidence technicians collected a sample of the blood and sent it to the Wisconsin State Crime Lab for testing.

On March 10, 2008, nearly two years after the burglary, police received a letter back from the lab stating that they got a DNA databank hit on the sample.

The databank hit came back to Benjamin Allan Haskins, 41, also known as B.A. Silver, who was currently in prison in the state.

Police said Haskins has been involved in several burglary incidents over the years. According to online court records he has two prior convictions for felony burglary and one for violating a theft ordinance.

He is charged with burglary of a building. If convicted, he could face up to $25,000 in fines and 18 1/2 years imprisonment. His bond has been set at $5,000 cash, but he is still serving a four-year prison sentence for a burglary conviction in Racine County.

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