A yearlong investigation into a burglary at a Robeson Township convenience store led to charges against a Reading man after DNA evidence linked him to the scene,police said.

The break-in occurred in the early morning hours of Oct. 10, 2023, at the Turkey Hill Minit Market, 3248 Morgantown Road.

Mercado-Ortiz, 49, was charged early this year with burglary, theft by unlawful taking and possessing an instrument of crime after investigators said his DNA matched the DNA profile of a spot of blood found on and around a crowbar the intruders left at the scene.

He was arraigned Friday night before District Judge Gail M. Greth in Reading Central Court and returned to Berks County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail to await a hearing.

According to court records:

Robeson police responded to a burglar alarm and arrived to find the glass on one of the front doors shattered. A trail of cigarette packs led from behind the counter into the parking lot. Leaning against the broken tobacco case was a crowbar with what appeared to be blood on it. Officer Jakob Ketterer collected a swab of the blood and submitted it for DNA analysis.

Security video from that night showed an SUV pulling into the lot about 3:26 a.m. Two men got out. The passenger, wearing a gray beanie, used a yellow crowbar — similar to the one found at the scene — to smash the front door.

Both burglars went behind the counter, each removing a rack of Newport cigarettes before fleeing through the same door, dropping several packs as they ran. The SUV then entered Interstate 176 northbound.

Store officials told police the thieves took cigarettes valued at $1,289.

Police sent the blood evidence to the state police crime lab in Bethlehem and released still images of the suspects through Crime Alert Berks County, but no leads developed.

A year later, in October 2024, police were notified that the lab had found a presumptive DNA match through CODIS, a national database operated by the FBI. The hit identified Uladamit Mercado-Ortiz, then 48, though his whereabouts were unknown.

This year investigators learned Mercado-Ortiz was being held in Berks County Jail on unrelated charges. Ketterer obtained a warrant to collect a DNA sample from him, which was sent to the lab for confirmation. The analysis confirmed a match to the blood found at the scene.

Police said the second suspect remains unidentified.