Stolen, found, arrested!

PRINCETON — The actions of an alert resident led to the quick arrest of Sunday morning’s Bruce Jewelers’ burglar.

Princeton Police arrested Ralph S. Learned Jr., 24, of Princeton, at about 9 p.m. Monday, while he was fleeing from police in the 1200 block of North Maple Street, according to Princeton Police Department.

The arrest was made possible after police received information from a resident who found evidence of the burglary while mowing a yard on North Main Street and finding jewelry items in a burn pit.

“We’ve got to be proud of our citizens,” Princeton Police Chief Tom Root said Tuesday.

Sometime around 4 a.m. Sunday, one or more burglars used a rock or a large piece of concrete to smash the smaller window on the front of Bruce Jewelers, located at 631 S. Main St. No entry was gained into the building, and the burglar or burglars reached in through the broken window and grabbed what police described as miscellaneous items of no great value before fleeing on foot.

Police, who were notified of the break-in by a passerby at 5:38 a.m., followed a bloody trail more than two blocks to the alley behind the United Way building on the corner of Main and Peru streets.

On Tuesday, Root said Learned apparently was the only person involved in the burglary. He said Learned was seriously cut up, but he had tried to take care of the cuts himself rather than seek medical treatment.

Root said some of the stolen items were still missing, and Learned had apparently tried to destroy whatever he could in the burn pit.

Learned was charged with burglary, criminal trespass to land, possession of cannabis and possession of drug equipment. He was in custody at Bureau County Jail as of press time.

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