Alleged Marlton Burglar Caught By Registry

A Marlton man who broke into an elderly neighbor’s home to steal jewelry and other items was arrested Thursday after electronic receipts pointed to him pawning the stolen goods at local shops, Evesham Township Police said.

Matthew Kelly, 23, burglarized his neighbor’s home on Dec. 1, police said, but when he pawned some of the silverware, electronics and jewelry he got in the heist, he led detectives right to his front door.

A local law—similar to one passed in Cherry Hill—requiring secondhand shops to electronically report transactions to a central police database helped detectives flag Kelly’s activity as being connected to the burglaries, police said.

After getting an arrest warrant, Evesham officers went to Kelly’s home on Bancroft Road Thursday and found him hiding in a shed, police said, and arrested him after a brief scuffle.

Kelly and an officer were both hurt in the fight, police said, but both were treated and released at Virtua Hospital in Marlton.

Kelly was charged with two counts of third-degree burglary and third-degree theft and single counts each of third-degree possession of heroin, fourth-degree resisting arrest with injury to a law enforcement officer, fourth-degree obstruction of justice and a disorderly persons offense for possession of a hypodermic needle.

He was taken to the Burlington County Jail in default of $20,000 full cash bail.