ROSEBURG, Ore. — A missing wine bottle may have helped a Myrtle Creek man avoid a longer jail sentence for burglary.
The Roseburg News-Review reported that Justin Brown was sentenced to 60 days in jail after pleading no contest to second-degree burglary and unauthorized use of a vehicle. He was initially charged with first-degree burglary for breaking into a Myrtle Creek home in 2010.
Prosecutor Tiffany Zinter said the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office mistakenly destroyed a wine bottle that had Brown’s fingerprints on it and proved he was inside the home.
Brown maintained he did not burglarize the home or steal the homeowner’s SUV that ended up at his place. His lawyer said his client merely drove the vehicle that had been stolen by someone else.
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Information from: The News-Review, http://www.nrtoday.com
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