Minneapolis man who stole $10K, threatened teen in home invasion sentenced

A man who was charged with two felonies after he broke into a home, threatened, zip-tied a teen, and stole about $10,000 in cash in February, was sentenced on Friday.  

According to a court document, back in February, Robert Earl Buckingham, 33, from Minneapolis, pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree burglary (possession of a dangerous weapon/explosive) and pleaded not guilty to one count of aggravated robbery in the first degree. 

On Friday, he was convicted of one count of first-degree burglary and the aggravated robbery was dismissed. 

Buckingham was sentenced to 44 months at the St. Cloud Correctional Facility. 

Minneapolis man who stole about $10,000 in home invasion makes plea in court

According to the criminal complaint, Minneapolis police were called to a reported burglary at a duplex on the 2700 block of 12th Avenue S. at about 6:52 p.m. on Aug. 11, 2019. 

A man told police that he and his wife left their upper-level unit at about 6 p.m. with their three children remaining home. The complaint states that the children were 2 and 14 years old, and the third was an older child with Down syndrome. When the man and his wife returned home, they found the 14-year-old zip-tied in the bathroom, and the other two didn't appear to have been harmed but weren't able to communicate what happened.

The complaint states the 14-year-old said a man, later identified as Buckingham, came into the bathroom, forced the teen out of the shower and threatened to kill the teen at knifepoint, and then zip-tied the teen's hands together. The teen said Buckingham then ransacked the home, and the man and his wife estimated about $10,000 in cash was missing.

Officers were able to execute a search warrant at Buckingham's home and found clothes matching the ones he was seen wearing on surveillance footage.

 Officers also found more than $10,000 in cash when searching his home. 

The complaint states Buckingham has at least five prior felony burglary convictions and at least two prior convictions for violent crimes.