By Vicky Wedig
Staff Writer
Police have the DNA of a man they believe damaged and tried to set fire to buildings in the Town of Lyons but no suspect.
A warrant was issued Oct. 12 for the arrest of a John Doe with a specific DNA profile who is charged with burglary of a building or dwelling and felony criminal damage to property.
On Oct. 26, 2015, Bruno Moelter reported finding a grain silo and the doors of three other buildings open at his farm on Highway 50 in the Town of Lyons, according to the criminal complaint. Moelter began checking buildings and found a ski boat and tools and other items stacked near doors as if someone were waiting to load them into a vehicle and was interrupted, according to the complaint.
When police responded, a sergeant also noticed property west of the Moelter farm damaged. Liquid that appeared to be gasoline had been poured onto a motorhome at the Moelter farm and outside a building on the property west of the farm, according to the complaint. Police also found lighters and believe someone attempted to set a building on fire, but the gas was old and didn’t ignite, according to the complaint.
At the property next to the Moelter farm – the former WMIR radio station – all the windows and doors on the north side of the building had been broken, fluid was found on the south side of the building with a gas can and lighter nearby, a door was kicked in on the west side of the building, and equipment inside was opened, damaged and tipped over, according to the complaint.
Inside the building, police found significant damage and blood spatter in every room, according to the complaint. Police suspect a fire extinguisher was used to damage a window on the east wall of the building and whoever broke it was cut in the process.
The blood inside the building was swabbed for DNA, which was determined to be the DNA of a man but no matching profile was found. The system will be searched weekly for a match to the DNA, according to the complaint.
Damage to the properties was estimated at $5,000.
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