Man leaves bag of stolen items behind in victim's house

ST. THOMAS - A man was arrested in connection with a home burglary after he left a bag with the stolen items inside the house and asked the victim if he could go back inside to retrieve it.

Morgan Richards, 18, was arrested at 12:30 p.m. Monday and charged with third-degree burglary, attempted grand larceny and destruction of property. He was advised of his rights Tuesday.

According to court records, a Smith Bay resident returned to his home to find a window shattered and bent. The victim saw the suspect on the property and asked him what he was doing there, police said. The suspect said he was just passing through, but he later admitted to breaking into the residence by saying, "It was me, and I forgot my black bag inside the house," according to the court file.

Police said the suspect asked the victim if he could go back inside and get the bag, and the victim said yes. When the suspect got onto the front porch, the victim detained him and called 911.

When police arrived on the scene they found that the inside of the house had been ransacked, and they recovered the black bag, which was filled with stolen items from the family, including jewelry, documents, a camera and other electronics.

V.I. Superior Court Magistrate Judge Alan Smith found probable cause to charge Richards Tuesday and released him on a $2,500 unsecured bond Tuesday.

Richards is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 17.

Read more: http://virginislandsdailynews.com/news/man-leaves-bag-of-stolen-items-behind-in-victim-s-house-1.1183617#ixzz1U531I7ra

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