Cops: Man Stole Xmas Gift He Gave Neighbors

MARCH 17--A Minnesota man broke into a neighbor’s home to take back a set of knives he gave as a Christmas present because he believed the recipients “did not appreciate” the gift, police allege.

According to cops, Alfred Joseph Guercio, 54, last Wednesday night forced his way into a neighboring residence in Burnsville, a city about 15 miles south of Minneapolis.

Before bum-rushing the home, Guercio argued at the front door with a female resident “about the knife set,” according to a probable cause statement. Guercio, cops noted, was upset that the woman “did not appreciate the knife set and wanted it back.”

After telling Guercio that she would retrieve the knives, the woman tried to close her door. Guercio, however, placed his foot in the door, rebuffing her several attempts to shut it. Guercio then allegedly pushed his way into the house, shoved the woman, and swiped the knife set.

During subsequent police questioning, Guercio said that he had given the knives to his neighbors as a gift and “was upset that she was not using the knives in the way they had agreed for her to use them and he wanted them back.” Guercio admitted entering the home after the woman “slammed the door in his face” because he “felt like she wasn’t going to get the knives.”

The court filing does not indicate how Guercio thought the knives were to be used.

Pictured above, Guercio was charged with felony burglary, which carries a maximum 10-year prison term. (3 pages)