If you’re going to break into a business through a glass window, try wrapping your hand up first.
A thief who allegedly took several laptop computers and cash from a local physical therapy office was caught by the bloody trail he left behind at the scene of the crime.
Police arrested Dimas Cuadrado, 28, using DNA from blood he splattered all over the office of Proactive Physical and Hand Therapy at 2904 Bruckner Boulevard.
Cuadrado allegedly broke into an interior glass door in the office and damaged his hand trying to stop an alarm from ringing inside.
Cuadrado got away with three laptop computers and about $75 in cash during the burglary on Wednesday, May 12, but was picked up after his DNA matched material on file in a police database.
Cuadrado has been charged with burglary, grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, petty larceny, criminal mischief, and trespassing.
According to Proactive co-owner Anne Marie Feretti, Cuadrado left such a massive trail of blood around the office that police forensics crews had no trouble at all collecting the DNA sample.
“There was blood all over the office — on the walls, computers, and chairs,” Feretti said. “He left great big bloody handprints in a couple of places, and a pool of blood where he smashed our burglar alarm.”
Feretti, whose husband is a retired NYPD sergeant, said she was pleased that DNA technology was used to track the suspect down. She said she was told by police that Cuadrado is a repetitive roof-cutting burglar who just completed parole in April. A surveillance video from the office showed him to be inside for about 40 minutes.
Police responded to a burglar alarm, but saw no one inside. It took almost three months to solve the crime.
“I love the fact that they used DNA evidence,” Feretti said. “I like it because I think when they use DNA evidence, it’s a sure thing, much more objective.”
Feretti said the biggest hardship the burglary caused was that the physical and occupational therapy center for adults and children had to be closed for two days so that evidence could be collected and cleaning could be done. According to the complaint report, the computers Cuadrado allegedly got away with were two Dell laptops and one Hewlett Packard Probook, which cannot work on any other system other than the one Proactive uses to track patient records. In addition, he took $ cash from patient co-payments.
The report also stated that the police recovered a blood splattered wrench at the scene.
