Jan 24, 2017 2 min read

Robbery and burglary are, of course, criminal offenses that must be taken seriously. Lives can be threatened, property is stolen and scars linger – anyone who has been robbed or had their home burglarized is well aware the feeling of violation can remain long after the police report has been filed.

That being said, we’ll admit to getting a kick out of stories of incompetent, bumbling crooks.

We’re talking about the nincompoops who scribble notes demanding money on the back of their own deposit slips, rob banks adjacent to their homes right after a fresh snow has fallen or walk up to a bank wearing a ski mask and brandishing a weapon after the bank has already closed for the day.

So we couldn’t help but laugh over a story on the Associated Press wire Tuesday about a Connecticut burglar who made it all too easy for the authorities to nab him.

After an alarm went off recently at the Pet Hospital in Stratford, Conn., police arrived to a broken window, blood on the window’s frame, a trail of blood on the floor and … the burglar’s keys and cellphone.

“Police traced the phone to 31-year-old Nicholas Bruner and charged him with third-degree burglary and second-degree mischief,” the AP reported.

“Bruner said he had lost the items but couldn’t remember where.”

Well, he can now at least be glad that they have been recovered.