Herald burglar charged
Published 7:06 am Sunday, January 8, 2017
A 32-year-old Austin man arrested early Wednesday on suspicion he was burglarizing the Austin Daily Herald, 310 Second St. NE., has been charged.
Brandon Ingersoll appeared in Mower County District Court Friday on felony third-degree burglary, felony theft and gross misdemeanor drug possession charges.
According to police and court records, officers were alerted to the possibility of a suspect inside the building at 3:30 a.m.
Ingersoll
After police set up a perimeter around the building, officers witnessed someone opening and quickly shutting the building’s east door.
They then saw a man exiting the south door of the property and took him into custody, according to Police Chief Brian Krueger.
Officers observed evidence of a burglary inside the building, including open desk drawers and an open door to a safe.
Ingersoll told police he was walking around the building and observed a female inside. He told police there were three other people inside. However, a K-9 sweep of the building found no other suspects.
Herald staff had earlier reported thefts in three separate incidents spanning a six-week period. Several items, including cameras and digital devices, were taken. But there had been no visable signs of forced entry.
Officers also found a backpack, which contained a set of keys with the name “BRANDON” on it, in the garage area of the building which was taken into evidence.
The bag contained a computer valued at $500 and several other items from the Herald. A Microsoft Surface valued at $1,200 was also found to be missing and was believed to be taken when Ingeroll entered the Herald earlier in the morning.
Police executed a search of Ingersoll’s residence on the 500 block of Fifth Avenue Northwest and found the Surface, along with a small amount of methamphetamine, a glass methamphetamine pipe, a “Slim Jim” pry bar and a set of bolt cutters.
Officers found damage to one of the the Herald doors and that they could force one open.
Ingersoll declined to discuss the incident with police.
—Deb Nicklay contributed to this report.
