Officers use new ‘rapid DNA machine’ to arrest man accused of robbing Beaver County market

MONACA, Pa. — A man accused of robbing a teenage store clerk at Monaca Market is now in jail, thanks to new rapid DNA technology being used by law enforcement in Beaver County.

Police said the robbery happened on a Sunday morning in late April. The suspect entered the market, told a teenage employee he had a gun and demanded money from the register before fleeing the scene.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> ‘We’ve never had fear of something like this happening here’: Monaca Market stunned by armed robbery

“There was a lot of concern on Facebook and social media. Everyone was alarmed this occurred,” Monaca Police Chief David Piuri said.

The Monaca Police Department quickly received multiple tips from the public. Officers collected surveillance footage from nearby homes and businesses, which helped them develop a timeline and narrow down possible suspects.

Investigators eventually recovered a ski mask believed to have been worn by the suspect. They identified a potential suspect as Cory Nolder, who was already in jail on unrelated charges, including a burglary in the same week and a warrant out of Ohio.

“When he was picked up, he had items in his possession that had been taken in the burglary,” said Piuri.

Police obtained a warrant for Nolder’s DNA and used a rapid DNA testing machine — a newly implemented tool in Beaver County — to analyze it. The machine produced results in under 90 minutes.

“If you are just sending away DNA for a property crime, it can take six, eight or even 10 months to come back,” said Beaver County Assistant District Attorney Nate Bible. “In that time, leads have gone stale. It’s tough to keep that momentum going.”

The DNA sample matched Nolder, marking the first arrest in Beaver County using this new rapid testing technology.

“It’s really putting everything on the table as far as what we can use this technology for,” Bible said.

Nolder remains in custody and is now charged with robbery and multiple felony offenses in connection with the Monaca Market incident.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

©2025 Cox Media Group