Fingerprints, DNA lead to arrest in two burglaries

A Big Pine Key man was arrested Monday after fingerprints tied him to one burglary, and DNA tied him to another.

The two burglaries took place in April of 2009. According to Detective Diane Mimosa, 32 year old Michael Manning first broke into a house on Ixora Drive sometime between April 8 and April 9. He allegedly stole jewelry, cash and a couple of cameras from the home. He left behind fingerprints on the outside of the home’s sliding glass door. They were collected by Crime Scene Detective John Underwood and sent off to Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) for comparison with their fingerprint database.

Between April 11 and April 12, Manning allegedly burglarized another home on Avenue G, Big Pine Key. According to Detective Mimosa, to get in, he broke a window; when he broke the window he cut himself leaving his blood behind. He took a laptop from the home. His blood was collected by Detective Underwood and sent off to FDLE for comparison to their DNA database.

Recently, the results from both the fingerprint and the DNA comparison returned from FDLE identifying Manning as the perpetrator of both burglaries. Warrants were issued for his arrest. The warrants were served Monday. He is currently in Monroe County jail.