Local man sentenced to prison for break-in, DNA at scene led to arrest

A local man arrested earlier this year for breaking into a vehicle based on DNA evidence left at the crime scene was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty in Garland County Circuit Court.

Jack Daniel Vanportfliet Jr., 34, who was on parole from a 2011 conviction at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty to breaking or entering and was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay $750 in restitution to the victim and $170 in court costs and fees. His sentence will run concurrent with a sentence he received after his parole was revoked.

According to the affidavit, on Sept. 15, 2013, a local woman reported that her vehicle, a 1998 Toyota Avalon, was broken into while she was visiting a friend in the 100 block of Live Oak Terrace and a dress valued at $200, a digital camera and pair of dress shoes were stolen. The repair cost of the vehicle was estimated at $300.

The victim noted what appeared to be blood on the driver's seat and when Garland County sheriff's investigator Jennifer Tonseth responded she collected two swabs of the blood that were sent to the state crime lab in Little Rock.

On Nov. 18, 2013, the lab released a report stating that a DNA profile obtained from the blood found was matched to Vanportfliet, a previously convicted felon. A warrant for Vanportfliet's arrest was issued and he was taken into custody Jan. 5 this year and later released on $2,500 bond.

Vanportfliet was convicted in September 2011 of breaking or entering which also stemmed from two vehicle break-ins on Brady Mountain Road in July 2010 where blood left at the scene was later matched to him.

Vanportfliet has been classified as a habitual offender stemming from prior convictions in 2009 for possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine, and theft of property.

Local on 07/29/2014

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