A Canton man is behind bars after detectives say a routine traffic stop finally cracked a brutal 2016 home-invasion stabbing in Jackson Township. Investigators allege that DNA collected during a February booking matched evidence from the unsolved case, leading to Thursday’s arrest of 38-year-old Angus Webendorfer on charges of attempted murder, aggravated burglary, and felonious assault. He was booked into the Stark County Jail, authorities said.
The attack dates back to Aug. 4, 2016, when police say an intruder slipped through an unlocked door into a woman’s home in the 5900 block of Kentview Avenue NW and stabbed her as she slept. The woman survived multiple stab wounds, and some of the items taken from the home were later found discarded on the street. Cleveland.com reviewed police accounts of the case.
How Investigators Broke the Case
Detectives collected evidence from the scene back in 2016 and sent it to the state crime lab, where analysts developed a DNA profile. That profile went into the national Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS, a database that stores DNA from crime scenes and from people arrested for certain offenses. Ohio law requires DNA collection and upload for adults arrested on qualifying felonies, and state labs routinely run comparisons against CODIS. The system’s nationwide reach can tie years-old evidence to new arrests, according to the FBI. Investigators say that is exactly what produced the lead that pointed them to a suspect.
Charges and Next Steps
According to police, the break came after the Ohio State Highway Patrol stopped Webendorfer in February on unrelated felony charges and collected a DNA sample during booking. Once that sample was entered into the national system, Jackson Township detectives were notified in May that it matched the 2016 crime-scene profile. Investigators obtained warrants and arrested Webendorfer on May 21.
Court records cited by police indicate Webendorfer pleaded guilty to drug-related charges on May 1 and was ordered to treatment earlier this month. He remains held in the Stark County Jail while Jackson Township detectives continue their investigation and prosecutors prepare formal charging documents, authorities said, as per Cleveland.com.
Jackson Township Police Chief Mark Brink publicly thanked his department’s detectives, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and the U.S. Marshals Service Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force for helping move the long-stalled case forward. Anyone with information or tips about the 2016 stabbing is asked to contact the Jackson Township Police Department.
