Facebook turned out to be the downfall of an accused Minnesota thief last week.
Nick Wig, 26, allegedly broke into a Dakota County home sometime early Thursday morning and proceeded to pocket several items including a watch, an iPod and cash, ABC News reported. He then sat down at the homeowner's computer and logged into his Facebook account. But before he left he forgot to log out, paving the way for police to arrest Wig later that day.
"This is the first case in Dakota County in which a suspected burglar left his Facebook profile on the computer screen of the victim's computer," Monica Jensen, spokeswoman for the Dakota County Attorney's Office, told the station.
James Wood returned home Thursday morning to find his front door unlocked and some cash, his checkbook, credit card and other items gone, according to a criminal complaint obtained by ABC News. The thief even left a pair of wet sneakers and jeans in a pile on the floor.
"I started to panic, but then I noticed he had pulled up his Facebook profile," Wood told CBS Minnesota.
The account belonged to someone named "Nick Dub." Realizing the person did not log out, Wood wrote on the page that the thief ransacked his home. Wood also left his phone number in case someone called with information. The suspect texted Wood later that day.
"I replied you left a few things at my house last night, how can I get them back to you," Wood told CBS Minnesota.
The two agreed to meet that evening. But before Wig could get his clothes back, Wood spotted him walking down the street and called police. Wood was able to recognized Wig thanks to his profile.
Police recovered from Wig an iPod, car keys and the homeowner's watch, which he was wearing. The suspect was arrested and charged with burglary in the second degree.
Wig later admitted to logging into Facebook while he burglarized Wood's home, ACB News reported.
"It's a pretty unusual case, might even make the late night television shows in terms of not being too bright," Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom told CBS Minnesota.
Bail for Wig was set at $25,000. He is scheduled to appear in court on July 15.
