Drinking straw leads to arrest in '03 robbery

The long arm of the law, and a drinking straw, finally caught up to a robbery suspect five years after police say he robbed a Jericho Burger King at gunpoint. Police say 33-year-old Julio Valverde held

News 12 Staff

Feb 19, 2008, 11:10 PM

Updated 6,154 days ago

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The long arm of the law, and a drinking straw, finally caught up to a robbery suspect five years after police say he robbed a Jericho Burger King at gunpoint.
Police say 33-year-old Julio Valverde held a woman and the restaurant manager at gunpoint as he robbed the fast-food restaurant. Investigators say even though Valverde got away with money, he left behind his DNA on the straw. According to police, Valverde ate inside and didn?t clean up after himself before he robbed the restaurant.
?He was consuming a drink ? he left that drink behind and we were able to get DNA off that straw that he used to drink,? Nassau Police Det. Lt. John May says.
May says Valverde, of Hempstead, was recently arrested for petit larceny. It was at that time that his DNA was entered into the New York state DNA database.
Valverde is charged with robbery and criminal possession of a weapon.