Convicted Burglar Arrested After Breaking into Short Term Rental as Victims Slept

Convicted burglar Lonnie Ridley is back behind bars after he broke into a short term rental just before 7 a.m. in the 1400 block of Phillips Street and took a man's wallet as the victim and his wife were sleeping.

Ridley, 26, stood on a trash can outside the rental in order to enter the victims' bedroom through a window. The male victim awakened to see Ridley with his wallet. Ridley fled. North Precinct officers quickly responded to a call of an active burglary. They saw Ridley walking away and as officers approached him, he fled behind a church at 1112 Jefferson Street where he was taken into custody.

Ridley was arrested in January for burglarizing three vehicles and attempting to burglarize ten others in Nissan Stadium's Lot T on January 6th. He was convicted of burglary of a motor vehicle in that case and received a 2-year probated sentence. At the time of his arrest for the stadium break-ins, Ridley was free on bond related to arrests from November 2025 for attempted aggravated burglary and theft.

During an interview, Ridley admitted to this morning's break-in.

Ridley is now charged with aggravated burglary, assaulting a police officer, evading arrest, resisting arrest, and theft. He is being held on $131,000 bond.