By Lori EhdeIt’s no CSI television show, but Rock County deputies used DNA testing for their own crime scene investigation to solve a burglary at Smooky’s Pizza.According to a complaint filed last week in Rock County District Court, a burglar broke into Smooky’s pizza on March 15 and got away with roughly $120 in cash.But in the process, he left behind blood from glass that cut his hand when he broke the door. This key evidence, combined with clues that the burglar was an employee, led to the arrest of 20-year-old Christopher Lee Virkus, Luverne.According to Investigator Jeff Wieneke, Smooky’s owners Richard and Brenda Latten suspected the burglar was someone familiar with the business.The cash machine wasn’t forcibly broken into — the cash was taken by somebody who knew how to operate the till. Also, a tin "Camel" cigarette can with $60 cash was also missing. The can was kept in the back of a closet, where only an employee would know where to find it.Based on recommendations from the Lattens, four Smooky’s employees were questioned as potential suspects.They all submitted DNA samples which were turned over to BCA labs in St. Paul to test for a match on the blood found on the cash register.When questioned by deputies on April 5, Virkus said he worked at Smooky’s and knew about the release lever under the drawer of the cash register. He also voluntarily submitted to a saliva sample for DNA testing.On July 2, Deputy Wieneke again questioned Virkus, who was informed his DNA matched the blood collected at the crime scene.At this time Virkus admitted to breaking into Smooky’s Pizza in the early morning hours of March 15, cutting his hand when he broke the glass door with a hammer.He said he took money from the cash register and Camel tin, and he threw the tin into a creek west of Luverne.The burglary occurred on March 15, and DNA test results weren’t back from the BCA until July 2.Wieneke said it’s not unusual for lab results to take that long."We didn’t get it all done in an hour, like on CSI Miami," he said about the crime scene television show.He said the quickest turnaround he’s seen for DNA results was two weeks, and that was for the murder investigation of Carrie Nelson, who was killed three years ago at the Blue Mounds State Park."DNA takes three months or so to get back from the BCA," he said. "We sent in four samples."In criminal investigations, the state pays for the cost of DNA testing, which is being used more often in Rock County, especially for prosecuting sexual assaults."When we start getting burglaries, we want to put a stop to them right away, and it’s hard to beat DNA for evidence," Wieneke said. "It’s something we’ll be using more frequently as technology improves."He said a simple swipe on the inside of a cheek with a sterile Q-tip is all it takes to collect DNA from a suspect. "It’s quick and painless."Charges of second and third degree burglary, both felony charges, were filed against Virkus on Wednesday, July 14.He’ll appear in Rock County District on July 26.
