Watertown Man Tries to Pass off Burglary as "Prank"

WATERTOWN, MA - A would-be prankster told officers he was playing a practical joke on his friend after he broke into the man's Framingham apartment on Saturday.

Only this "prank" would cost his friend more than $2,500.

Police say Bobby Martin broke into the Jefferson Hills apartment around 8 p.m. and stole two $400 necklaces, a $225 ring, a $400 bracelet and 12 fitted baseball caps worth $40 each, brass knuckles, a knife and a machete, the MetroWest Daily News reported.

Residents of the apartment arrived home to find that someone had entered through a sliding glass door on their balcony, which is about 15 feet off of the ground, according to a police report cited by the Daily News.

One of the tenants found Martin, 28, in the parking lot with a missing iPhone charger sticking out of his pocket and a machete poking out of his pants.

He then reportedly told the tenant, who he knew, that he was teaching him a lesson about leaving his doors unlocked and it was all a joke.

Police were able to recover the missing items and arrested Martin, charging him with breaking and entering and larceny of property worth more than $250.

At a hearing Monday, a judge ruled that Martin be held on $1,000 bail. He will return to court May 18 for a pretrial conference.

>>>Read the full report from the MetroWest Daily News<<<