07/26/08 05:44 AM
DNA sample leads to arrest in burglaries
LOCKPORT — A twice-convicted felon has pleaded not guilty in Niagara County Court to a pair of burglaries — crimes to which he was linked by the state’s DNA database.
Roderick E. Stewart, 46, of South Avenue, Niagara Falls, is charged with two counts of third-degree burglary and single counts of third-degree criminal mischief and petit larceny, stemming from break-ins Oct. 17 and 24, 2005, at apartments in the same building on Seventh Street in Niagara Falls.
Stewart was arrested Jan. 22 after a DNA sample he had to provide because of a previous conviction matched a blood stain found at the scene of the burglaries, Deputy District Attorney Doreen M. Hoffmann said.
