CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- A program linking local police work with lab analysis in West Virginia is helping police in coastal South Carolina solve property crimes.
The Charleston Post and Courier reports Thursday that local agencies have solved more than 100 property crimes in Charleston County thanks to DNA evidence left at the scene and analyzed by Marshall University's Forensic Science Center.
Charleston authorities say DNA matches have led to more than 20 arrests, and more are pending.
Police have few places to take such forensic evidence because state crime labs are overburdened testing evidence from homicides, rapes and more serious crimes.
The Marshall program, funded by the National Institute of Justice, has processed roughly 600 samples for coastal agencies in the past two years.
Information from: The Post and Courier, http://www.postandcourier.com
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