DNA from cigarette butt leads to arrest of pipeline protester 3 years later

BISMARCK, N.D. - North Dakota authorities relying on DNA collected from a cigarette butt have charged a man with engaging in a riot for his involvement in a Dakota Access pipeline protest three years ago.

Morton County prosecutors also charged 23-year-old Lawrence Malcolm Jr. with felony conspiracy to commit criminal mischief.

The charges relate to a Sept. 6, 2016, protest on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation. An affidavit says more than 100 demonstrators, many with their faces covered, halted construction and vandalized equipment.

North Dakota crime lab officials notified investigators last month that DNA from a cigarette butt found at the scene was a match for Malcolm, of Sisseton, South Dakota, whose DNA profile was on file from an earlier arrest.

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