A combination of an unusual set of circumstances, DNA technology and old-fashioned police work led to the arrest of 25-year-old Le Roy resident Patrick J. Gonzales by the Le Roy Police Department.
This arrest announced today allegedly solves a two-year-old burglary, which occurred at 1:58 a.m. on March 16, 2017 on Lake Street in the Village.
The burglary occurred when a person entered the victim's building and stole a safe and other items. At the time of the burglary, the alarm activated but the police were accidentally sent to a neighboring business. Because of this error, the patrols found no burglary and were sitting on Wright Avenue talking when a person allegedly identified as Gonzales walked by them, eastbound on Wright Avenue toward Route 19.
The police recognized Gonzales but had no cause to stop him. Once the patrols were advised they were sent to the wrong business, they checked the correct business and located the burglary along with a fresh set of footprints in the snow eventually leading to a wooded area. The footprints were followed and led to the discovery of both the stolen safe and what appeared to be the perpetrator's jacket buried in the snow.
Both were recovered and the footprints were again followed, which led to the same location and direction on Wright Avenue that Gonzales was seen traveling earlier. The footprints led toward a rooming house on Lake Street, in which Gonzales was living at the time. The same footprints were then found on the property of the rooming house.
Eventually enough cause was developed to petition Gonzales to appear in Genesee County Court for a court-ordered DNA test, which was granted in July of 2018. The DNA was secured and compared to DNA evidence found in the jacket buried in the snow and allegedly matched.
During the investigation, Gonzales left New York State twice but returned the first time to surrender his DNA and then returned this past time to turn himself into the Le Roy Police Department and face the charges.
Gonzales was charged with one count each of the Class D felonies of burglary in the third degree and grand larceny in the third degree. He was arraigned in Le Roy Town Court and released under supervision of Genesee Justice.
