A 54-year-old Monroe man is accused of stealing thousands of dollars from his nephew, a war hero.
Police began investigating in May after a break-in at the Prospect home of Edward Rynkowsky, 28, an Afghan war veteran and recipient of the Bronze Star.
Rynkowsky's father had been in the hospital for a surgery and he was just stopping in to feed the cats. He soon noticed that bedroom door normally closed to keep the cats separated were open, according to court documents. He spoke with a neighbor who described a man who sounded like his uncle, Edward Jones Jr., and called police to report the thefts, according to the police report.
"I'm distraught ever since I knew what happened," Rynkowsky told NBC Connecticut exclusively. "It's unneeded stress."
Police said two safes, many coins, personal identification documents, military awards and citations and an Eagle Scout badge were taken.
For months, police worked on the case and identified Edward Jones Jr., 54, Rynkowsky's unemployed uncle, as a suspect.
They said he used the documents stolen during the burglary to impersonate Rynkowsky, steal about $7,000 from his bank account and charge about $8,000 to a credit card Jones received in the victim’s name.
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"I checked my account and said, 'Why is there so much withdrawn?' Especially from my savings. I haven't made a withdrawal in years," Rynkowski said.
Police served Jones with a warrant on Saturday, charging him with 146 violations, including criminal impersonation, forgery, illegal use of credit cards, larceny and burglary.
