Jan. 23—WORTHINGTON — A Sibley, Iowa man is charged with felony level property damage, attempted burglary and possession of burglary/theft tools as well as one count of gross misdemeanor burglary following a Jan. 8 incident in Worthington.
According to the law enforcement report, at around 11:46 p.m., Worthington police officers received a report of an attempted burglary at a local business. Officers met with the reporting party, who provided security footage showing a silver Dodge van pulling into the store's parking lot at around 5:49 p.m. the previous day.
Noting the dent in the vehicle's trim, officers reportedly observed a man with a "pronounced mustache" exiting the vehicle and walking up to the door only to find that it was locked. The man then allegedly grabbed a hammer and began looking around. According to law enforcement, the man in the security footage hit the entry door window five times with the hammer before leaving in his vehicle.
It was additionally noted by the reporting party that this door was replaced two or three years ago, and that repairs had cost them around $1,500 at the time.
Prior to the incident, the reporting party stated they had received a call from a man identifying himself as Kiley Akers, 22, but that they were not acquainted with the man prior. Officers advised the reporting party to alert them if they saw the man in the store again.
According to the report, shortly after officers left, they were notified that the man was seen again, having reportedly left in the same vehicle as before. Officers initiated a traffic stop and identified Akers as the one behind the wheel. The report also stated the vehicle sported the same dent as the one featured in the security footage.
Akers reportedly told officers he had not been to the business in "a long time" and denied having been there the previous day. He also reportedly confirmed he had called the store twice in the afternoon to ask if they would be open that day. Officers reported that Akers was acting nervous the entire time.
"His hands shook, his voice cracked and (he) couldn't stand still," the report stated.
When officers confronted him about the damage done to the business, Akers reportedly denied being involved and told officers he'd borrowed his vehicle to a "buddy," suggesting that it may have been them who did it instead. Akers was allegedly unable to provide contact information for this individual.
When officers asked Akers for consent to search his vehicle, Akers allegedly volunteered that he had a hammer and tools, which caught officers' attention as they had not mentioned the use of a hammer to cause the damage.