Man Takes Cell From McDonald’s Worker, Struggles With Manager, Police Say

A man took a smart phone from a McDonald’s employee and then struggled with the store manager after he got the phone back, police said.

Ronald Benincasa Kruse, 20, of the 1800 block of Aston Way in Chesterfield, was charged Tuesday with second-degree robbery.

Ballwin Police said Kruse forcibly took a smart phone from a McDonald’s employee at 5:16 a.m. April 3 at the restaurant, 15204 Manchester Road. When a store manager confronted Kruse, he at first denied taking the phone, police said.

Then, he handed the phone to the manager and tried to push through in attempt to flee, according to a police report. The two men struggled until police arrived and told the manager to let the man go. Police found the smart phone’s battery on Kruse.

Kruse also was indicted by a grand jury May 22 on a theft charge in St. Louis County.

He is being held in the St. Louis County Justice Center. Bail was set at $5,000.