A Naperville man who was already behind bars for one alleged crime is now being charged with the burglary of the Walgreens at 63 W. 87th Street in Naperville.
Ronald Rueckheim, 55, has been charged with one count of burglary and one count of criminal damage to property, according to a news release from the Naperville Police Department and the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Window broken during burglary, causing up to $10K in damage
Police say they responded to the Walgreens on Feb. 23, after being alerted to an overnight burglary there. They said upon investigation, it appeared that Rueckheim allegedly entered the store around 5:20 a.m. “with the intent to commit a theft.” Authorities said he also allegedly broke a window, causing between $500 and $10,000 worth of damage, and then fled.
The next day, Rueckheim was arrested for unrelated domestic battery and aggravated assault charges, after a domestic violence incident. For those charges, a judge granted the state’s motion to detain him pre-trial.
Arrest warrant served to suspect at DuPage County Jail
An arrest warrant for the burglary charges was then served to Rueckheim on March 6 at the DuPage County Jail, after he was identified as a suspect in the case.
“The fact that Mr. Rueckheim is being detained on an unrelated offense is of no consequence in this case,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the news release. “In this newest case, Mr. Rueckheim’s most serious charge is the forcible felony of burglary, which is a non-detainable offense under the Safe-T-Act dangerousness standard, unless there is use of force against another person. This morning, Judge Dieden was required by law to release Mr. Rueckheim in this case. As I said following the implementation of the Safe-T-Act, after hearing the facts and circumstances of a case, a judge, not the legislature, is in the best position to decide if pre-trial release for a defendant is appropriate. I still believe this to be the case and I continue to urge the General Assembly to amend the law and allow judges to use their discretion in every case, similar to New Jersey’s pre-trial release law.
Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres commended all involved in the arrest.
“Our investigators did a great job following up on this incident, building a strong case and identifying a suspect,” said Naperville Police Chief Jason Arres. “I thank them for their hard work and DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and his office for their partnership in holding people accountable for crimes committed in Naperville.”
Rueckheim’s next court date is April 1, 2024.
Photo courtesy: NPD
If you have a story idea, send us a tip!