Discarded cigarette leads to arrest in Mineola burglary

Here's another reason to quit smoking.

Saliva left on a discarded cigarette at the scene of a February burglary in Mineola led detectives to an ex-con who stole power tools and guns, Nassau County police said Tuesday.

The Parliament cigarette butt that cops recovered had DNA genetic material belonging to Anthony Miola, 35, of Marcellus Road, Mineola, said Det. Lt. Raymond Coté, commanding officer of the Third Detective Squad.

Miola's DNA fingerprint had already been in the government's files, having been obtained as part of a June 2008 drug conviction, Coté said.

Under New York law, convicted criminals must give DNA samples for the state's database in nearly half of all convictions, including for all felonies and about 30 percent of misdemeanors, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.

The burglary occurred Feb. 23 at a warehouse belonging to Cutting Edge Inc., on Roosevelt Avenue. Police said the burglar "pried open" a locked gun cabinet, stole hunting rifles, shotguns and office equipment and tools worth about $20,000, police said.

During the investigation, led by the squad's Det. Robert Abriola, police examined the carpet and tile store for evidence.

"When my guy goes to the scene he notices on the floor in the storeroom there's a Parliament cigarette butt, and so he asks the people that work there, 'Do any of you smoke Parliaments?' and the answer is no," Coté said.

Miola was arrested Monday just as he was being released from the county jail in East Meadow, where he had been serving a drug sentence, police said.

He is an ex-con with more than a dozen convictions and a heroin addiction, police said. He wouldn't say what he did with what he stole, they said.

Miola was being held last night on a third-degree burglary charge on $30,000 cash or bond bail, according to the jail. With John Valenti

By By MATTHEW CHAYES
Posted Wednesday, December 2, 2009

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