Covelo man arrested in connection with 2 burglaries

A Covelo man was arrested in connection with two burglaries at local businesses Friday.

Neil Bruce Waldron, 51, was booked into the Mendocino County Jail on charges of looting during a local or state emergency, burglary and violation of probation, the county sheriff’s office said in a prepared statement. He is being held on $20,000 bail.

At 2:54 a.m. Friday, deputies were dispatched to a reported burglary in progress at The Village Hearth in Covelo, where they found an open front door open and a broken window.

Deputies found a black color pellet rifle on the floor, which did not belong to the store. The store owner also reported that an Apple iPad was missing. The value of the stolen iPad and damage to the store was estimated to be $1,300, the sheriff’s office said.

Deputies contacted Waldron because he was in the area at the time of the reported burglary, the sheriff’s office said. Officials learned that Waldron was on active summary probation out of Mendocino County and had prior arrests for commercial burglaries in Covelo.

Deputies then learned Keith’s Market in Covelo also had been burglarized. The store’s surveillance footage showed Waldron apparently holding a black pellet rifle, which deputies identified as the one found at The Village Hearth.

Surveillance footage also showed Waldron apparently shattering the glass to the front doors before he allegedly entered the business and took alcoholic beverages and cigarettes, the sheriff’s office said. The total value of the items taken was about $630.92, and the damage to the store was roughly $4,000.