Man charged with stealing jewelry from home damaged in Marlborough explosion

A man is facing multiple charges for allegedly breaking into a northeast Calgary home damaged last month in an explosion and stealing more than a dozen pieces of jewelry from the evacuated residence.

The Calgary Police Service said in a statement Thursday that charges have been laid against a 53-year-old Calgary man in connection to a home break-in last month and other alleged crimes. 

The house explosion happened on March 27 on the 700 block of Maryvale Way N.E., in the city's Marlborough neighbourhood. The blast shook the area, destroyed the home of origin and left 10 men who were inside injured. 

Three days after the explosion, a couple that lived in one of the damaged homes returned to find a man inside their residence in the middle of the afternoon, police said. The man claimed to be security and quickly fled the area.

When the couple entered their home, they found evidence of a break-in and noticed that several pieces of jewelry were missing. They called police and gave investigators a description of the man they saw in their home.

After collecting evidence at the scene, investigators were able to identify the suspect. They applied for a warrant and began trying to find him. 

Barb Caswell said Thursday that her parents were the victims. 

In the immediate aftermath of the break-in, she told CBC that the theft of the jewelry was a heart-wrenching loss for her parents as they worked to navigate the process of fixing the home they'd lived in for decades. 

"To get this robbery on top of everything else, it's heartbreaking," Caswell said then. "It makes you angry." 

After a month's time, a break in the case came this week when police responded to a burglary early Tuesday morning at the Village Square Leisure Centre in the Pineridge neighbourhood. Officers found the suspect from the home explosion break-in inside and arrested him. 

While he was being processed, officers found the man was also wanted for previous break-ins and suspected in a February car theft and an incident over the weekend involving the possession of a dangerous weapon, police said. 

In total, the man faces nine charges, including break and enter, theft over $5,000 and carrying a concealed weapon, police said. He is slated to appear in court Friday. 

Police say that the jewelry stolen from the explosion-damaged home has yet to be recovered. The stolen valuables include nine gold chains, a ruby ring, a Swarovski pendant with matching earrings, a jade ring pendant, and silver chains. 

The case remains under investigation.