Police: Fingerprint Leads to Arrest in Burglary

A fingerprint found at a muffler shop that was burglarized has led to the arrest of a Spring Valley man in connection with the break in, according to Clarkstown police.

Police said that on July 5 the manager of the Midas Muffler at 215 W. Route 59 in Nanuet arrived at work about 8 a.m. to find that a lower panel on a garage door at the shop had been removed. Inside, police said the manager found cash from the shop's register was missing.

A review of a security video showed that a man wearing a hood had entered the shop about 2:29 a.m. As a result, the Clarkstown Police Detective Bureau was assigned to probe the incident and worked in conjunction with the Rockland County Sheriff's Department Bureau of Criminal Identification.

During the investigation, police said a fingerprint was lifted from the panel removed from the door and the print was identified as belonging to Fritzdy Gilot, 28, of Spring Valley.

Gilot was arrested on July 14, when he was arraigned in Clarkstown Town Court in New City and ordered held in the Rockland County Correctional Facility in New City on $2,500 bail pending a Town Court hearing. Gilot is accused of third-degree burglary, a felony,  possession of burglar tools, a misdemeanor, and fourth-degree criminal mischief, a misdemeanor.