Police: DNA Links Man To 3 Robberies

The State Police Forensic Laboratory Determined That The Cigarette Butt Found On The Floor Contained DNA That Matched The Suspect's.

State police arrested a man with 28 previous arrests Friday after they said DNA and a pair of Nike sneakers connected the man to three robberies in 2004, including a bank holdup in which more than $8,000 was taken.

Keith C. Laubenheimer, 41, had previously been arrested 27 times in Connecticut and one other time in New Jersey.

He was charged Friday with two counts of first-degree robbery and two counts of fourth-degree larceny. He is accused of flashing a handgun at a Sunoco gas station in Jewett City on Feb. 25, and robbing the store of $505. Police said a week later he used a knife to rob the Voluntown Mobil Station of $550.

The following month, on March 8, police said, Laubenheimer implied he had a weapon when he robbed the Chelsea Groton Bank in Sprague of $8,624.

Witnesses and victims in two of the cases reported to police that the culprit was wearing a distinct model of tan-colored Nike sneakers. Also, police scrutinized videotape from the bank and noticed there was a cigarette butt on the floor of the ATM lobby that was not there before the robber appeared on the camera.

In June of this year, more than two years after the crimes, the state police forensic laboratory determined that the cigarette butt found on the floor contained DNA that matched Laubenheimer's, giving police a focal point for their investigation.

Members of the Eastern District Major Crime Unit learned that Laubenheimer had been released from prison not long before the string of robberies began. They also learned he had been staying at 23 Pequot Trail in Griswold with a female friend who picked him up when he was released. Police said Laudenheimer and the woman both had cocaine habits. They said when the pair's money ran out, Laubenheimer started the string of robberies.

Police said Laubenheimer took a diamond ring that belonged to the woman, traded it in at Belden's Jewelers in the Crystal Mall in Waterford in exchange for a wedding band and engagement ring. After the trade-in, Laudenheimer owed about $1,500 for the two new rings. He paid cash for them on March 9, police said.

Police said the woman refused to accept the engagement ring, after which Laubenheimer sold the rings and used the money to buy drugs.

The woman was central to the police investigation in other ways as well. She provided police with a photograph, confirmed that Laubenheimer had access to vehicles used to escape from the crime scenes and confirmed he had access to sneakers matching those described by police.

Another witness — an acquaintance of Laubenheimer's to whom police showed videotape from the bank — told police that not only was Laubenheimer wearing the witness's sneakers but also the witness's pants as well.

Laubenheimer's arrest record goes back as far as 1983, when he was 17 years old. The record includes burglaries, larcenies, assaults, drug possession and several counts of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, as well as several counts of violation of probation, failure to appear in court and a variety of motor vehicle charges.

He remained in custody at Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown Friday with a bond of $250,000.