Robber Ransacks Home, Microwaves Meal

A burglar who ransacked a home and stole some jewelry also took the time to eat a grilled chicken dinner he found in the freezer and cooked in the microwave, authorities said.

David Lucas Olmeda, 21, whose last known address was in Stafford Township, N.J., was carrying a large black bag over his shoulder when Brick Township Police Officer Sandra Mattheson -- who was driving home -- stopped and began to question him around 8:20 p.m. Saturday.

Olmeda, who initially gave a false name, told Mattheson he was walking to a friend's house, but pointed in the wrong direction when asked where it was located. The jewelry was then found in his pockets, and police said he also stole some checkbooks from the Ocean County home.

Around that time, the home's residents returned and found the house ransacked and the dinner's remnants in their trash can.

Authorities said Olmeda confessed to taking the items and also admitted driving a car that was later found to have been reported stolen in Mount Laurel.

Olmeda told police it was his aunt's car and that he abandoned it at a township shopping center after it ran out of gas, but it was not clear whether the woman who reported the theft was related to Olmeda.

Olmeda, who also was wanted on warrants issued in Barnegat and Atlantic City, was charged by Brick police with burglary, theft and receiving stolen property. He was being held Tuesday on $25,000 bail at the Ocean County Jail in Toms River.

Copyright 2003 by NBC 10. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Author: NBC10