GRANITE CITY – A local man accused of breaking into a Granite City home and stealing power tools and more valued at over $5,000 faces multiple felony charges.
Richard A. Mousette Jr., 52, of Granite City, was charged on Dec. 18, 2025, with one count each of residential burglary (a Class 1 felony) and theft (a Class 3 felony).
Mousette allegedly knowingly entered a Granite City residence on Nov. 6, 2025, without authority and with the intent to commit a theft. On the same day, he also reportedly stole multiple Milwaukee brand power tools including an impact drill, drill, grinder, and extended ratchet, as well as M12 and M18 batteries, a dual battery charger, a Craftsman wrench set, a work light and battery, various types of LED bulbs, heat shrink tubes, and a small air pump, each from the same victim.
A petition to deny Mousette’s pretrial release from custody was filed by the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office. According to the petition, Mousette originally arrived at the residence “to sell fish” and was escorted out of the home after the transaction. He then reportedly returned to the residence at about 1 a.m. the following morning and exploited unlocked doors to gain unauthorized entry to the victim’s garage and basement.
The petition states Mousette went through the victim’s belongings for approximately three and a half hours before leaving the home with several stolen items with a combined value of $5,023.25. The victim noticed “a bucket of copper pipe missing from his garage” the next day and identified Mousette as the perpetrator from his home surveillance footage of the incident.
Mousette had previously been convicted of methamphetamine possession in 2019 and violated his probation in that case before being sentenced to serve five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. He was also convicted of domestic battery in 2010, with both prior cases filed in Madison County. The petition notes Mousette poses “an ongoing danger to the community and a high likelihood of willful flight” given his “pattern of repeated criminal behavior and violations of court supervision.”
The Granite City Police Department presented the case against Mousette, who was ordered remanded to jail for his initial appearance in court.
All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
