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Summary A man is accused of ripping off a jewelry store during a lunch break in his trial for robbery.
This is one of those compelling stories that leaves you scratching your head, and as youre walking away asking yourself, Did that really just happen? Franklin police Sgt. Charles Warner said.Police say Mark Burgen reached over the counter at Waltons Antique Jewelry and helped himself to pockets full of diamond bracelets, about $30,000 worth.As he was leaving the store, employee Julie Walton caught him with a stolen Rolex watch in hand. He handed it over, apologized, then fled, she said.Just had no common sense whatsoever is pretty much what it boils down to, Walton said.Burgen had somewhere else to be at the time — in court. He was on trial for an armed robbery he allegedly committed in 2009. Jewelry store owner Mike Walton can barely stand to see the surveillance tape.You would think he would be on his best behavior, but this guy I guess just cant contain himself, Walton said.When Burgen returned to court for the rest of his hearing, Warner says he hid the loot in the bushes outside the courthouse, so as not to set off the buildings metal detectors.Officers quickly tracked Burgen down and arrested him for his latest stunt mere seconds after a jury found him guilty of his first.
