Naperville man burglarized Walgreens store, caused up to $10K in damage: prosecutors

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - A Naperville man who was already behind bars has been hit with new charges.

On Feb. 23, Naperville police responded to the Walgreens at 63 W. 87th Street for a burglary. Prosecutors say that around 5:20 a.m., Ronald Rueckheim entered the store to commit a theft. He also allegedly broke a window that caused between $500 and $10,000 worth of damage before fleeing the scene.

Then, the next day, Rueckheim was arrested on separate domestic battery and assault charges – both misdeameanors. A judge granted the state's motion to keep him detained pending his trial.

On March 6, Rueckheim was identified as a suspect in the Walgreens incident and was served an arrest warrant while locked up at the DuPage County Jail.

Ronald Rueckheim

"The fact that Mr. Rueckheim is being detained on an unrelated offense is of no consequence in this case," DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. "In this newest case, Mr. Rueckheim’s most serious charge is the forcible felony of burglary, which is a non-detainable offense under the Safe-T-Act dangerousness standard, unless there is use of force against another person. This morning, Judge Dieden was required by law to release Mr. Rueckheim in this case. As I said following the implementation of the Safe-T-Act, after hearing the facts and circumstances of a case, a judge, not the legislature, is in the best position to decide if pre-trial release for a defendant is appropriate. I still believe this to be the case and I continue to urge the General Assembly to amend the law and allow judges to use their discretion in every case, similar to New Jersey’s pre-trial release law."

In the Walgreens incident, Rueckheim was charged with burglary and criminal damage to property – both felonies. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 1.