Whiskers grabbed from intruder's beard led police to burglary suspect

Police say a suspect was caught by a whisker when DNA from his beard helped lead authorities to his arrest. According to Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol, deputies investigated a home invasion that happened on December 20, 2013 in the Town of Vienna, New York. The incident involved a white man who went into a home and confronted the homeowner.

The suspect was unknown to the victim and had armed himself with a knife from the kitchen after getting into her home, Sheriff Maciol said. The suspect and victim began to fight and the victim grabbed the suspect's beard. Deputies said the suspect then fled the residence and the victim was able to secure her home and call 911. A search of the area found no one matching the suspect’s description.



During the investigation, a clump of hair was located in the victim’s living room where the altercation had taken place, which she believed to be from the suspects beard, Sheriff Maciol said. The hair was collected and sent to the New York State Police Lab in Albany for DNA analysis. In October 2014, the Sheriff's Office was notified that DNA collected from the beard sample matched Leon M. Tennant, 54, whose DNA they already had on file.

Tennant was located in custody at the Monroe County Correctional Facility in Rochester, NY, the Sheriff's Office said. A warrant was obtained from the Town of Vienna Court and Tennant was charged with burglary in the first degree. On December 5, 2014, Tennant was released from the Monroe County Correctional Facility. He was transported to the Town of Vienna Court where he was arraigned on the charge and ordered to be held without bail.