GLENDALE, Ariz. – Police say a man suspected of theft was arrested after his severed finger left at the alleged crime scene was used by police to identify him. A police spokeswoman said, “His own finger put him behind bars.” Joshua Allen Goverman, 29, was booked on suspicion of theft, related to an incident that occurred October 7, when someone attempted to steal copper wiring from the back an air-conditioning truck parked in a driveway.
Officer Tracey Breeden wrote in a news release, “When (the victim) walked out to his work truck the morning of (Oct. 7), he got quite a surprise. His eyes saw something he couldn’t believe … a cut-off finger that was caught up in the wiring.”
The finger was sent to the Glendale Police Forensics Unit, a fingerprint was obtained and a positive identification was made, according to Breeden. “The finger identified the suspect,” she said.
Breeden said about a week later, Glendale police officers found Goverman and “detectives immediately observed that (the suspect) was missing a portion of one of his fingers. Our detectives also found that (Goverman) had posted a photo of his hand with the missing portion of his finger on Facebook prior to being arrested.”
Police say Goverman claimed he lost the finger during a car repair, but told a different story when confronted with his missing finger.
According to a Glendale Police Department release:
The Frozen Finger has now become one the “creepiest” things this Halloween being kept in the Glendale Police Evidence Room. The Glendale Police Department wishes everyone a Safe Halloween.