A West County resident arrived home about 1:43 a.m. Oct. 12 to see a burglar running out a back door in home in the 300 block of Messina Drive.
St. Louis County Police said they caught the man a short distance away, with four pieces of jewelry from the home in Sorrento Springs Estates just south of Ballwin.
Christopher Purtle, 32, of the 2100 block of Boxwood Lane in High Ridge, was charged Oct. 13 with first-degree burglary, misdemeanor stealing and possession of drug-related items.
Police said Purtle stole three rings and a necklace from the home, and that he had hypodermic needles when he was arrested.
Purtle is being held in St. Louis County jail in lieu of a $30,000 bond.
For more crime information on Fenton-High Ridge Patch, see the following articles:
