Knightdale man charged in Craigslist ad burglary

Raleigh police arrested Johnny Keith, 33, of 7172 Limewood St., on July 23 with breaking and entering and larceny.

According to a search warrant returned Monday for his home, investigators said Keith broke into a Raleigh home on July 7 after the victim, Manuel Saint-Lot, received a call a from a man interested in a TV he had placed on the online classified advertising site.

A woman, who identified herself as Monique, called later and asked about his work schedule so she could schedule a time to look at the TV, the warrant stated.

"The victim was given the impression that this was the first caller's female companion," investigators wrote in a search warrant affidavit.

Saint-Lot was robbed of a 40-inch LED TV, a Dell laptop computer and Xbox while he was at work, police said.

Investigators found a palm print in the victim's apartment that matched Keith's, the warrant indicated.

The warrants go on to say that 10 days after the burglary at Saint-Lot's, a Raleigh woman reported that several pieces of silver place settings were taken from her home while she was away.

She, too, had received calls from the same number used in the first case, investigators said.

According to court records, Keith has an arrest record in Wake County dating to 1993. He has been arrested nine times on 21 charges, mostly involving drugs.

Sgt. Bill McGregor, with the Raleigh Police Department, said investigators are see in more cases similar to this one in which thieves are looking for potential victims on online classifieds sites.

"Craigslist is a great place to get rid of merchandise that you want to sell," McGregor said. "However, you need to make sure you don't give the people calling information such as your home address, your hours of work, what time you're going to be away from your house or your apartment."

In a separate case in June, a Craigslist deal turned violent in Wake County after, investigators say, a Raleigh man was held at gunpoint by two sisters.

Authorities said Ibrahima Diouf had agreed to meet Acqua Bullock, 21, and Sherida Bullock, 28, both of 306 Windy Hill Drive, to buy six cell phones.

Instead, the women allegedly held Diouf at gunpoint and started shooting when he did not give them money.

Diouf wasn't hurt, but a bullet hit his car.

Each woman faces one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon and one count of conspiracy to commit robbery, the Wake County Sheriff's Office said.

Both were in the Wake County jail Tuesday morning under a $125,000 bond.