DNA solves 2018 burglary

Patrick Cole Mitchell, 35, of Vernon, was sentenced in 46th Judicial District Court this week to five years in prison following his plea of guilty to burglary of a habitation, that occurred in Foard County.

On Aug. 15, 2018, the Foard County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a burglary at a ranch property in rural Foard County.

Deputy Perry Shaw investigated the scene and located a soda can that had been open and left on a counter. Shaw swabbed the can for DNA and took it into evidence. The DNA was placed into the CODIS database and several weeks later a match came back to Mitchell, who was in custody in Mississippi on another charge.

“Deputy Shaw did an outstanding job in this investigation,” noted District Attorney Staley Heatly. “He went the extra mile at the crime scene and obtained DNA evidence that linked Mitchell to this crime. Without his efforts, this crime would have been unsolved.”

Mitchell was represented by Todd Greenwood. The case was prosecuted by the 46th Judicial District Attorney’s office. District Judge Dan Mike Bird presided and assessed the sentence.