Two years ago, Novato Police Department Officers responded to the parking lot of Rowland Cinemas on the report of an auto burglary. When the officer arrived, he observed that several vehicles in the parking lot had been broken into and the windows were smashed. The crime is often called a “smash-’n-grab and is a common event in Marin. Often “smash-’n-grabs” go unsolved.
But this time, while speaking with one of the victims, she told the officer that she observed blood on the interior of her vehicle, which appeared to be from the suspect cutting themselves on the broken window glass. The victim reported that her cellular phone had been taken from inside her locked vehicle during the burglary.
The officer completed an investigation and processed the interior of the vehicle for evidence. This included swabbing the fresh blood that was found inside the car as evidence. Detectives later sent that blood evidence sample to a State of California laboratory for testing.
This month, the NPD Investigations Section was notified that the blood sample collected from the vehicle was matched to Jerome Goodwin, a 27 year old resident of Pittsburg, CA. Detectives obtained a burglary arrest warrant for Goodwin and arrested him on Thursday, Aug. 20, in Pittsburg. Goodwin was booked into the Marin County Jail.
The Novato Police Department said “We’re pleased with the positive outcome of this case and to bring closure to the victim.”
Smoke from Northern California wildfires is deteriorating air quality, prompting Marin Public Health to issue a public health advisory warning residents who may be affected by or susceptible to COVID-19 to take extra precautions in limiting smoke exposure.
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