An arrest was made Wednesday for a case more than two years old thanks to a surprisingly late DNA match, according to Bridgeport Police Department Deputy Chief Randy Hartley.

 

Hartley said a case dating back to April 30, 2017, saw an arrest on Wednesday made by Sgt.  Detective Mark Rogers. The case actually started under Detective Brian Kemmerer who is no longer with the department.

 

“Kemmerer used a DNA swab at the scene and we just got the hit,” said Hartley.

 

As a result, Rogers said he arrested 38-year-old Ryan Brown originally from Ohio. Brown, who was living in Bridgeport at the time of the incident and is now living in Clarksburg, was arrested without incident thanks to the match in a federal DNA database.

 

“It came back that we had a DNA match that was verified, and a warrant was sought and the arrest was made,” said Rogers.

 

The only thing confusing for Hartley, Rogers and Lt. Detective Gary Weaver was why the match took so long. Brown’s DNA was in the federal system as the result of a previous felony in Ohio in 2008.

 

“I checked it out with individuals in Ohio and, right now, there appears to be no rhyme or reason for the delay,” said Rogers.

 

Weaver said the DNA was actually put into the system at the time of the 2008 felony. He, like Rogers, wasn’t sure why the sudden hit, but wasn’t complaining.

 

“Beyond the delay, which is hard to understand at this point, this may be the first case where we gathered DNA at the scene and we managed to get an arrest as a result,” said Weaver. “Generally, when we’ve done DNA here it’s with a known suspect for comparison purposes.”

 

Rogers said Brown was brought back to the Bridgeport Police Department after he was arrested. Brown admitted to the crime, said Rogers, and said the suspect stole four MAC Pro Notebooks and there may have been a fifth.

 

The computers were taken from Bridgeport Physical Therapy. In 2017, Bridgeport Police Chief John Walker said the Rite Aid on Main Street saw an unsuccessful attempt for a break-in, but that Bridgeport Physical Therapy – right next door – was then broken into and the computers were taken.

 

Brown was arraigned before Magistrate Frank DeMarco after he provided a factual statement of involvement. He was transported to the North Central Regional Jail after being unable to post the $10,000 bond.

 

Rogers said Brown has been charged with breaking and entering and grand larceny. Both are felonies in a case where Rogers said the investigation is continuing.