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City man arrested on burglary charges

Kearney accused of taking safe

Altoona police Sgt. Joseph Merrill escorts burglary suspect Robert E. Kearney into the Fifth Avenue office of Magisterial District Judge Ben Jones for his arraignment on Thursday. Kearney is accused of stealing a safe from a city home in July. Mirror photo by Greg Bock

An Altoona man wanted on charges he burglarized a city home in July is now in custody.

Robert E. Kearney, 44, of 327 Sixth Ave., was arrested Thursday by Altoona police and taken before Magisterial District Judge Ben Jones for arraignment on felony burglary and related charges stemming from the theft of a safe from a home on the 1400 block of 18th Street on July 30.

“Oh man, it’s not good, brother,” Kearney said when Jones asked about his prior criminal history while deciding bail. “It’s not good, sir.”

Altoona police told the judge that Kearney has a lengthy criminal history that includes two escape cases and a felony aggravated assault.

Jones set bail at $100,000 cash, citing the two previous escape cases and Kearney’s history of other crimes.

Altoona police Sgt. Joseph Merrill said Kearney is also wanted on a felony warrant in Clearfield County. Two Sandy Township police officers were in the courtroom for his arraignment and provided Kearney’s criminal history.

After discussing it with the Sandy Township police officers, Jones deferred arraigning Kearney on the Clearfield County charges and told him he would face arraignment on those in that county at a later date.

Kearney was emotional at times during the arraignment and said he knew his arrest meant he faced years in prison.

“I’m about to catch 15 years, and it’s hard to accept,” Kearney said during his arraignment.

Altoona police allege Kearney walked into a home on the 1400 block of 18th Street about 9:30 a.m. July 30 and walked out with a metal safe he took from a closet.

According to the charges, Kearney entered through an unlocked front door and was heard by a boy who was upstairs. The boy came down the stairs, saw Kearney in the kitchen and retreated to the second floor where he then texted his mother.

Police allege Kearney entered a first-floor bedroom and took a metal safe with a digital combination off a shelf inside a closet. He then walked out the front door with the safe tucked under his arm, police said.

Kearney was identified by officers after they watched footage from a neighbor’s security camera that showed Kearney leaving with the safe.

The safe contained $200 and personal paperwork, including loan documents, as well as other small items police said were not of any significant value.

Kearney was taken to Blair County Prison following his arraignment and is scheduled to appear at Central Court on Jan. 9 for a preliminary hearing on the charges.

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