Sentence Handed Down for Convicted Burglar

The St. Paul man stemming from a series of break-ins in Woodbury was recently sentenced in Washington County District Court.

Brian Thomas McCarthy, 25, was sentenced to more than 17 months in custody and nearly nine months of supervised release following the burglary conviction.

He was arrested in Woodbury on Dec. 22, 2011, and was suspected of breaking into a detached garage in Woodbury and vehicles in Woodbury, Oakdale, Maplewood, Newport and St. Paul. He was .

According to the criminal complaint:

A little after 7 a.m. on Dec. 22, police were dispatched to the 6800 block of Glen Road after a resident spotted a man she didn’t recognize in her driveway. The man saw her and fled into a nearby wooded area.

Police arrived and found footprints, which were discovered around several vehicles in the area that had been broken into or rifled through. Some were unlocked and others had broken windows.

Officers later found McCarthy, whose shoes matched the footprints found in the snow. He had a black ski mask and black gloves in his possession, in addition to an insurance card from one of the vehicles.

Police talked to area residents who said a man matching McCarthy’s description was seen asking for a ride.

Officers also found a plastic bag nearby that seemed to have been set down recently; inside were several items, including a set of keys for a vehicle stolen from St. Paul the previous evening.

The vehicle was abandoned at the 5000 block of Woodlane Drive in Woodbury. In it police found several items that appeared to have been stolen, including . A home on that block had its garage broken into, as was a vehicle parked outside.

The same footprints were discovered at the Woodlane home and near the entry to its detached garage.

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