An Austin man with a theft record has been charged with burglarizing a business and stealing from Marcusen Park.

Bail was set at $250,000 or $100,000 with conditions for Darrell Wigham, 20, of 408 Eighth Ave. S.E. He faces two counts of first-degree burglary and seven counts of felony theft.

According to the police complaint, an officer was dispatched to Lafayette Park the evening of April 12 to the report of a white, heavyset male in his early 20s carrying a sawed-off shotgun. He was wearing jeans, knee-length waders and a brown hooded sweatshirt.

The officer located the suspect walking east by Eighth Avenue Southeast, near the entrance to Marcusen Park and Bob’s Auto Repair. He had a large knife in his belt and was talking on a cell phone. The officer drew his weapon and ordered the suspect to place his hands on his head.

Records show a black pistol was observed in the suspect’s pants. A pistol grip was attached to a 20-gauge shotgun, which was located with five rounds of ammunition and the safety was off. His pockets were filled with ammunition.

Three males in a vehicle waved down the officer and reported to have seen an American flag wrapped around three long guns in the park, about 100 feet from where the suspect was apprehended.

The guns were later determined to have belonged to Austin Tent & Awning, 1208 Fourth St. S.E., which reported a burglary to police later that night. A burglar had pried open a rear storm door and stolen items from the second-story office area.

The suspect claimed he did not know anything about the three guns, and that he got the one on his person from a “black guy,” and was returning it to a friend, who he claimed was scared off by police when they arrived. A personal DVD player was also found on the suspect.

One officer’s bloodhound dog tracked the suspect’s scent to the Marcusen Park area, where a riding lawnmower was found stuck in the mud. A janitor’s closet had been forced open and the concession stand was also open. More guns and ammunition were found there. The chalk storage area was burglarized, and shoeprints were identified matching the suspect’s. A city employee reported the area was secure two days earlier.

Later, an officer recalled seeing a white male on a lawnmower at Marcusen Park the day before with a grocery bag hanging from the mower; he had assumed the individual was doing maintenance.

Wigham was convicted in 2008 of the following crimes: misdemeanor theft; gross misdemeanor check forgery; petty misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia and misdemeanor theft; and felony theft. The crimes were from four separate incidents.

Wigham is scheduled for arraignment in Mower County District Court on Thursday.