A Cape Coral man is accused of breaking into a neighbor’s home in the northeast and stealing a laptop valued at $700.
Andrew Joseph Ziemba, 25, of 1517 N.E. Van Loon Terrace, was charged Tuesday with one count each of burglary of unoccupied dwelling unarmed no assault battery, fraud false owner information pawned items less than $300, larceny grand theft $300 to less than $5,000 and dealing in stolen property.
He remained at the Lee County Jail on $29,500 bond Friday.
According to officials, Cape police responded to a report of a residential burglary in the 1500 block of Northeast Van Loon Terrace on March 3. The victim told officers that between 8 a.m. and 5:15 p.m., someone broke into her home and stole her Hewlett Packard laptop computer.
On April 28, Cape detectives learned that the laptop had been pawned at a shop in the 4400 block of Hancock Bridge Parkway in North Fort Myers. The person who pawned the computer was identified as Ziemba, police reported.
Cape detectives made contact with Ziemba on May 3 at the Lee County Jail, where he was being held on unrelated charges. During questioning, Ziemba allegedly admitted to pawning the laptop but denied committing the burglary.
According to officials, his alibi was discredited because the time frame of the burglary and the time in which the computer was pawned did not add up.
Ziemba was charged by the Cape police while in custody at the jail.
He was being held on similar charges from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
Ziemba has court dates scheduled for May 9 and June 6.