Original Blog Entry: Chewing tobacco trail leads to charges in tavern burglary

truesee — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 23:35:11 GMT

Published - Monday, April 20, 2009

Chewing tobacco trail leads to charges in tavern burglary

ANNE JUNGEN

A DNA profile recovered from chewing tobacco spit led to criminal charges against two La Crosse men accused of stealing a safe containing more than $3,000 in cash and beer tokens from a town of Campbell bar.

The owner of Sher-Bear Tavern at 328 Goodard St. told officers a large safe bolted to a kitchen counter was stolen early Feb. 5 after a door was pried open with a crowbar, according to the criminal complaint filed today in La Crosse County Circuit Court.

The key to unlock the safe was found untouched near the safe.

A fisherman found the safe and a tavern voucher for a six-pack of beer Feb. 9 on a sandbar in the Kaskaskia River south of Carlyle, Ill.

Officers collected a sample from the trail of chewing tobacco spit leading away from the tavern, the complaint stated.

DNA from the saliva matched Brian Scholl, 21, who was arrested Tuesday, according to the complaint.

From the La Crosse County Jail, Scholl called a woman who was storing his car and asked her to remove the safe, which he believed still was in his trunk, the complaint stated.

A search of the vehicle produced a receipt for a $77.44 hotel room rented to Joel Cruz, 21, the day after the burglary about 30 miles from where the safe was discovered, according to the complaint.

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