MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A 22-year-old St. Paul man has been accused of burglarizing a Wayzata jewelry store and is being linked to others, according to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
Virgil Lee Kirkwood was charged with one felony count of third-degree burglary in connection to the Wayzata burglary, which occurred on Nov. 5, 2011.
According to the criminal complaint, Wayzata Police responded to a commercial business alarm at Shelly Storch Fine Jewelry located on 1250 East Wayzata Boulevard. When they arrived, officered found the business was closed and a large store front window had been broken. Inside, several jewelry display cases were also broken and numerous pieces of jewelry were reported missing.
Investigators managed to extract a sample of blood found on a damaged display case, which was sent to the crime lab for analysis. Later, on Feb. 3, 2012, a report of DNA testing of the blood matched the DNA of Kirkwood, who was on file with the FBI.
Kirkwood is also being linked to similar jewelry store burglaries in Anoka and Ramsey counties.
If convicted, Kirkwood could face up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
