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Updated: 12:37 PM Aug 21, 2008
Police: Mishawaka Realtor charged with burglary
A Mishawaka Realtor is charged with burglary after police say he committed theft at a home he had access to. The Realtor's company says he's innocent and it's all a misunderstanding. Posted: 6:22 PM Aug 20, 2008Reporter: Sarah Platt Email Address: sarah.platt@wndu.com |
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A Mishawaka Realtor is charged with burglary at a home on St. Joseph County’s west side. Police say 45-year-old Jonathan Niemiec used his Realtor access key to get into the home on Saturday.
The home is also owned by a local police officer. For privacy reasons, they asked NewsCenter 16 not to say what department the officer is from.
The homeowners are in the process of selling their home. They've moved out, but still have some valuables inside. They happened to be driving by when they saw Niemiec loading their belongings into a truck.
Re/Max 100 says Niemiec is innocent and thought he was cleaning out a foreclosed home, but investigators say the suspect knew what he was doing.
NewsCenter 16 spoke with the homeowner Wednesday. He asked that his face not be shown on camera. A few days have passed since the burglary, but he says his family still feels violated.
"I was stunned to find out that he was an actual Realtor. I never would have thought that a Realtor would use his card to gain access to steal stuff," says the homeowner.
Police say 45-year-old Jonathan Niemiec entered the home with his friend. Police reports indicate that the friend was under the impression they were clearing items from a foreclosed home. Officers ended up letting that man go, but arrested Niemiec.
Niemiec's employer, Re/Max 100 of Mishawaka, says he's innocent.
Marsha Lambright, Broker/Owner Re/Max 100, released this statement to NewsCenter 16: "I was greatly concerned to hear of the accusation made against Jon Niemiec, an independent contractor associated with my office. Jon has been a Realtor in good standing for over seven years. We believe that Jon has been wrongly accused and that the charges against him will be dropped. We take our responsibility as Realtors very seriously and do not take this accusation lightly."
But the homeowners say they have no doubt Niemiec knew he was in the wrong. “We couldn't get an answer from him as to why our stuff was in the back of the truck," says the homeowner.
NewsCenter 16 also spoke with the homeowners’ primary Realtor. She says the suspect never asked for her permission to enter the home. She also adds that her records show he also entered the home Thursday with his key card.
The family says they're missing some belongings and they think those things might have been taken Thursday.
St. Joseph County Police say this appears to be an isolated incident.
Re/Max 100 officials say Niemiec is not with the company right now and they've disabled his key card.
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