Crime & Safety

Man Charged In Burglary Of Southbury Gift Shop: Police

A man is facing accusations that he broke into a Southbury gift store and stole hundreds of dollars in cash Monday, police said.

SOUTHBURY, CT — A man is facing charges in a commercial burglary in Southbury. Police responded to a call reporting a burglary at 2:01 p.m. at Piper and Dune at 134 Main St. S.

Police said $500 was stolen from the gift shop's cash register.

Police located the suspect, Antonio Burke, 41, on North Georges Hill Road.

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Officers seized $594 in cash from him. He was charged with third-degree burglary and fifth-degree larceny.

Burke was issued a $25,000 bond and transported to the New Haven Correctional Center. He is scheduled to appear in court in Waterbury on Tuesday.

Find out what's happening in Southburyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Piper and Dune's owner said in a Facebook post that the store was "robbed in broad daylight." The store is not open Monday, and no one was there when the burglary occurred. The owner was notified by a security system of the break-in and arrived at the store ten minutes later.

"We have a small casual gift store - nothing fancy, but you just don’t expect this sort of thing to happen," the owner wrote. "We need our police now more than ever."

The owner commended Southbury police officers Keeman, Morrone, and Jaskolka, saying that they caught the suspect within a couple of hours.

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