DNA on bun dooms car thief

A partially eaten cinnamon bun left in a stolen car led to the arrest and conviction of a Detroit man for a crime that occurred two years ago.

Norman O'Neil Wheeler, 40, was charged after a lengthy investigation by Eastpointe Detective Eric Keiser of the Macomb Auto Theft Squad. Wheeler was in prison on an unrelated car theft, according to Keiser and was arrested on the Eastpointe charge because experts at the Michigan State Police Crime Laboratory in Sterling Heights linked DNA from the cinnamon bun to Wheeler.

Wheeler pleaded guilty April 2 to unlawfully driving away an auto, police said. He is set to be sentenced May 22.

The incident began when Eastpointe officer Ed Lulko was dispatched to the Walgreen drugstore, 17755 Eight Mile Road, on Dec. 11, 2004, on a stolen car investigation. A witness told Lulko that she saw a man drive into the Walgreen lot in one car, break out the window of a second car and drive away.

"Officer Lulko found the partially eaten pastry in the car and sent it to the Michigan State Police crime laboratory with hopes that the DNA left on the roll could lead to the identity of the perpetrator," said Keiser.

Eastpointe Detective Lt. Leo Borowsky said that even though Wheeler is in prison, police decided to prosecute him to send a message to other car thieves.

"We've been fortunate catching car thieves because of the work of our detectives and assistance from MATS," Borowsky said.

Dennis Lippert, director of the crime laboratory, said every part of a person's body has DNA. He said newer techniques can amplify small amounts of DNA and yield a genetic profile.

Lippert said authorities put the DNA in an identifying system, which basically searches for a matching DNA.

Because he was a convicted criminal, Wheeler's DNA was on file and was matched with that found on the cinnamon bun.