A Davison man who broke into a Brandon Township home two years ago took jewelry and guns, but left behind one vital clue for police? his DNA.
Donaven Guy Thorn, 32, was arraigned Jan. 22 at the Oakland County Jail on one count of second degree home invasion and one count of larceny of firearms after being transported from the Kinross Correctional Facility in the U.P., where he was serving another sentence.
According to police reports, Brandon deputies responded to a home in the 7000 block of Oakhill Road on Oct. 26, 2006, after the homeowner’s son reported it had been broken into. Missing from the home were numerous jewelry pieces and the gun cabinet had been broken into, with rifles and a shotgun taken.
The thief had broken a window on the attached garage to gain entry and police found the key piece of evidence hanging from the window? a curtain with blood on it.
DNA analysis revealed the blood to be Thorn’s.
‘It’s amazing all the technology that we have and use in investigating crime now compared to what we had 23 years ago when I started,? said Sgt. Pete Burkett. ‘Hopefully soon the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office will have DNA capabilities. Currently we rely on the Michigan State Police to process DNA.?
Thorn remains in the Oakland County Jail and is faces up to 15 years in prison on the home invasion charge and up to five years in prison for the larceny of a firearm charge. He was serving a 7- to 22-and-a-half year sentence at Kinross for two second-degree home invasions and one breaking and entering charge in Osceola County.
Thorn will have a preliminary exam on Feb. 5 in front of 52-2 District Court Judge Kelley Kostin.