Unknown suspect charged in 2006 home invasion

The Carver County Attorney's Office used DNA evidence to issue a warrant Tuesday against an unknown suspect in a November 2006 home invasion in Chanhassen.

The "John Doe" warrant complaint stems from the incident in which the defendant allegedly held a family hostage at gunpoint overnight.

The case marks the first time the Carver County Attorney's Office has used DNA evidence to issue a warrant against an unknown defendant in a cold case.

Investigators discovered the defendant's DNA on bottles of wine and water he drank from in the home.

Minnesota law requires many people arrested for or convicted of crimes to provide DNA samples. The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension stores the samples, and checks them weekly to search for matches.

The criminal complaint alleges that the defendant demanded money from the husband, wife, and their three children. He tied up the family members, went through their wallets, and accessed the husband's bank records from the family's computer, the complaint said.

After looking at the records, the defendant said, "It must be pay day," and demanded $40,000, according to the complaint.

In the morning, he forced the family to take him to two banks and withdraw $12,000, the criminal complaint said.

When the defendant and the family returned to the house, several of the husband's coworkers showed up, after they became concerned when he did not come to work. The defendant told them the husband was out of town on a hunting trip. The coworkers became suspicious and called the police.

The defendant left in the family's truck about five minutes later with the $12,000, the complaint said. The vehicle was later found in Minneapolis.

The suspect has been charged with kidnapping, first-degree burglary and aggravated robbery.

Law enforcement officials believe the defendant is a white male between 25 and 35 years old, approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, and 185 pounds.

Carver County Attorney Jim Keeler said he remains optimistic that officials will eventually locate the defendant through a DNA match.

"The allegations contained in the complaint regarding this incident are very troubling, and would lead police and prosecutors to believe that there's a very good chance that he may commit another crime like this," he said.

The rules for DNA sample collection vary depending on the jurisdiction, Keeler said. In some areas, DNA samples are collected for all arrested individuals, while other jurisdictions wait until charges have been filed, or until the person has been convicted.

Right now the defendant's DNA sample does not match any other samples in the state's database, but if a match is found, the individual would be prosecuted.

Keeler said that Carver County will begin using DNA samples in other cases to identify unknown suspects.