DNA Linked To Second CURobber

VICTORVILLE, Calif. - (05/26/05) -- A second of three violent robberswho held up Victor Valley FCU in August 2003 was charged with thecrime earlier this month after he was identified through thestate's new DNA database. DNA taken from Jimmy Willis while he wasin jail on another robbery charge was matched to DNA recovered atthe credit union after the robbery, leading authorities to chargeWillis with the credit union robbery, the first time they havesolved a case using the state's new DNA database. Another of therobbers, Johnnie Rice, was charged last winter after his DNA,already stored in the state database, was matched with that of DNAscraped from saliva scraped from a ski mask used in the heist.During the robbery three masked men ran into the credit union withguns brandished and jumped the teller counter, then loaded trashbags with $30,000 in cash before escaping in a stolen car. The carwas discovered a short while later with its engine still runningand clothing, including the ski mask with tell-tale traces ofsaliva that led to Rice's capture.