A dog poop stain helped police link a suspect to a violent armed robbery in Miami, authorities said.
William Carroll, 62, made a mess of things when he allegedly tried to rob a woman at knifepoint while she was returning from walking her dog Monday night, according to an arrest report.
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The report said the woman's dog had stopped in a stairway to poop at her residence near the 2900 block of Northeast 7th Avenue.
As she picked up the poop, Carroll approached her from behind and pushed her against a wall, then pulled out a knife and started to strangle her, the report said.
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Carroll tried to take off her watch and bracelets but only managed to take her bookbag and a bag containing her wallet and credit cards, according to the report.
A witness said they saw Carroll robbing the woman and screamed that he was going to call the police, the report said, but Carroll yelled at him to shut up.
Carroll fled the scene, but officers who responded spotted him nearby a short time later and detained him, the report said. Carroll was out of breath as though he'd been running, and police said they found some of the victim's credit cards near where he was detained.
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Officers also found a knife near the scene as well as the victim's bookbag, according to the report.
When Carroll was interviewed by a detective he denied being involved in the robbery but the detective noticed a brownish stain on his shirt that matched the dog poop from the scene, the report said.
The victim, who suffered minor injuries around her neck, and the witness also identified Carroll as the robbery suspect, the report said.
The man was arrested on armed robbery and battery charges, and was booked into the Miami-Dade jail where he remained held without bond Tuesday, records showed. Attorney information wasn't available.
