BETHALTO – Residents of Brighton and Granite City were charged in a Madison County burglary case in which tools were stolen from a residence and listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
On Feb. 18, 2025, Michael D. Skiff, 45, of Brighton and Aaron D. Rowe, 39, of Granite City, were both charged with Class 2 felony counts of burglary in separate but related cases. Both are accused of unlawfully entering a building in the 700 block of Dugger Street in Bethalto with the intent to commit a felony.
Petitions were filed to deny both Skiff and Rowe’s pretrial release. According to both petitions, the Bethalto Police Department arrived at the residence in response to a theft. The homeowner, who was working on the house but not living there, told officers that tools and other items worth about $1,810 were stolen from the residence.
“A neighbor of the residence saw a maroon Ford F-150 drive by the residence and drive around the block several times,” the petition states. “The neighbor saw a male dropped off and walk from the front of the residence to the rear of it. The truck then backed into the driveway, the garage door opened, and two subjects started loading the vehicle with items.”
The homeowner further told authorities he had just fired Skiff for “doing poor work at the residence.” Another worker who was present when police arrived told authorities the garage door in question had been “acting up” and could only be opened a specific way, which only people working on the residence would know. Skiff was the only other person working on the residence at the time.
The homeowner then reported seeing his tools for sale on Facebook Marketplace. After police contacted the seller, they told authorities they purchased the tools from Rowe and another individual who drove a maroon Ford truck, unaware the items were stolen.
Rowe was later found to be selling tools which were confirmed to be the homeowner’s via serial number. In an interview, Rowe admitted to selling one of the tools to the Marketplace seller, but claimed Skiff allowed him to take the tools after bringing several items to his residence.
The petition in Skiff’s case notes he has a “robust criminal history,” including pending burglary and domestic battery charges that was on pretrial release for at the time of the incident.
The petition in Rowe’s case adds he also has a “robust criminal history,” including a pending charge for possessing burglary tools for which he was on pretrial release, as well as past charges of burglary and residential burglary.
The cases against Rowe and Skiff were presented by the Bethalto Police Department. While both were remanded to jail for their initial court appearance, Madison County Sheriff’s Office records indicate Skiff was granted pretrial release while Rowe remains in custody.
All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
