Man charged after jewelry stolen from homes damaged in Calgary house explosion

A man has been charged in relation to a break-in at an evacuated residence following a house explosion and fire in northeast Calgary last month.

On March 30 at around 1:45 p.m., a woman and her husband were returning to their house in the 700 block of Maryvale Way N.E. after a house explosion sent 10 people to hospital and damaged other houses several days earlier.

2:39 Calgary house explosion leaves 10 in hospital, 6 in life-threatening condition

When they arrived, they confronted a man who was leaving their home, who claimed to be a security guard. The man then quickly fled the area, police said.

When the woman and her husband entered the home, they saw evidence of an alleged break-in and called the police.

Police said several pieces of jewelry were taken during the alleged break-in. This includes nine gold chains with various pendants, a ruby ring, opal earrings, a Swarovski pendant with matching earrings, pear earrings, a pearl pendant, a jade ring pendant and silver chains.

2:46 Calgary thieves see house explosion as opportunity to commit crime

Police said photos of the jewelry are not available.

According to police, weeks later, officers caught the alleged thief red-handed at the scene of another crime.

On Monday at around 3 a.m., police were responded to calls for a break-and-enter at Village Square Leisure Centre, located at 2623 56 St. N.E. Police arrested one suspect at the scene.

According to a news release, the Calgary Police Service believed the suspect is linked to the residential break-in last month.

The suspect was also believed to be linked to a vehicle theft on Feb. 15 and an incident involving the possession of an illegal weapon on April 22.

Daniel Riley Johnson, 53, was charged with:

• Two counts of break and enter
• One count of theft over $5,000
• One count of possession of break-in instruments
• One count of unauthorized possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon
• One count of carrying a concealed weapon
• One count of disguise with intent
• One count of driving an uninsured motor vehicle on a highway
• One count of driving while disqualified or prohibited

Additional charges are pending, police said. Johnson is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.