Northfield Man Charged with Home Burglary, Heroin Possession

A Northfield man is facing felony charges after police say he acted as a lookout during a home burglary that netted the thief a diamond ring worth several thousands of dollars and other items.

Taylor Collin Heckers, 22, is charged with aiding and abetting second-degree burglary and receiving stolen property, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. He is also charged with fifth-degree drug possession, for which the maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint filed with Rice County District Court, Northfield Police were called to a home in the 300 block of Orchard Street South just before 3 p.m. Oct. 10 to investigate a burglary.

The resident told police that he had arrived home a few minutes earlier and found that the home’s side door had been forced open. He said he didn’t go inside, but waited for officers to arrive.

Police accompanied the man inside, and he discovered that his wife’s jewelry was missing from the top of her dresser. He called her, and she told him that she didn’t have her wedding rings with her, and also confirmed that she didn’t have a jewelry and ring container that had been on top of the dresser.

The resident told police that a change jar containing about $150 in coins was also missing.

The woman’s wedding and engagement rings were appraised in late 2011, and the engagement ring—18-carat white gold, with a .75-carat diamond—was valued at several thousands of dollars. The diamond in the ring had a laser-engraved serial number, the man told police.

An officer visited a Northfield jewelry store on Oct. 17 and showed the owner a photo of the victim’s wedding set. The owner said he hadn’t received any gold or jewelry that he believed was stolen.

A few hours later, the jewelry store owner called the officer and said a woman had come into the store with a diamond. The woman asked if the stone was real, and inquired about its value, the store owner said.

The store owner checked the diamond and found that it had the same engraved serial number as the diamond stolen a week earlier.

The store owner, who described the customer as a middle-aged woman wearing a back brace, said he told the woman that police had been in the store earlier asking about people selling jewelry and diamonds. The woman “looked a little concerned” and said she had gotten the diamond from her son; she said she was going to go home and speak to him, according to the complaint.

An officer called the woman, who said she had found the diamond on the ground near her house, and promised to turn it over to police.

The woman came to the police station and handed over the stone. She initially denied remembering what she had told the jewelry store owner, but when an officer reminded her that she said she got the diamond from her son, she replied, “Sorry. Yeah, sticking up for him,” according to the complaint.

Police tracked down Heckers, who told them that he got the diamond from a friend. He was arrested for possession of stolen property.

In subsequent interviews, Heckers admitted to police that he knew the diamond was stolen, and said he had acted as a lookout during the burglary, the complaint says.

Police executed a search warrant at Heckers’ home and found a plastic bag with white powder, a spoon and a syringe in the pocket of a jacket belonging to Heckers. The powder tested positive for heroin.

Heckers remains in the Rice County Jail. He was scheduled to make a first appearance on the charges Oct. 19 in Rice County District Court.

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