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DNA Match Nabs Man Who Fled After Being Caught Burglarizing Area Home

A man who fled after he was caught in the act robbing a Putnam County home last year has been tracked down by police and arrested for burglary, officials announced this week.

Andrew Hickey.

Andrew Hickey.

Photo Credit: Kent Police Department

Investigators from the Town of Kent Police Department announced on Wednesday that they have arrested 46-year-old Andrew Hickey, who police say is homeless, and charged him with second-degree burglary dating back to an incident in February, 2017.

Police said that on Feb. 6 last year, the department received a report from a Lake Carmel resident who reported that he had returned home at approximately 2:30 a.m., at which point he found several lights turned on and an unknown man in the corner of the living room while his wife and infant daughter were sleeping.

According to investigators, the man, allegedly Hickey, stated he was in the wrong house and fled the house on foot. Officers and a police canine canvassed the area, but no suspect was apprehended.

An investigation by detectives into the incident determined that the suspect had gone through the family’s belongings, including the victim’s wife’s pocketbook. Police said that Hickey allegedly used items from the kitchen and DNA evidence was collected at the scene, which was sent to the New York State Police Forensic Investigation Center in Albany, with no matches.

More than a year later, investigators in Kent received a notification from state police that a DNA sample of Hickey that was sent to them on a separate matter matched the DNA that was submitted for analysis last year from the Lake Carmel incident.

On Tuesday, May 22, investigators arrested Hickey at Kent Justice Court and he was charged for the alleged burglary. 

Following arraignment, Hickey was remanded to the Putnam County Correctional Facility in lieu of $20,000 cash bail or $40,000 bond. Hickey is due back in court later this year to answer the charge.

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