by Joni Astrup
Associate Editor
A man was taken to jail after police responded to a shoplifting report at Home Depot in Elk River at approximately 10 a.m. March 18.
Before police arrived, the lone adult male suspect had left on foot. When police arrived at the store at 18011 Zane St., the suspect was getting into the passenger seat of a vehicle that was leaving the area. A police officer observed the vehicle pass him and stopped it. The passenger matched the description of the suspect in the theft at Home Depot.
“(The) suspect admitted to stealing merchandise at Home Depot, but stated he gave it back to complainant,” according to the police report. “Suspect had three confirmed outstanding warrants and also (was) found to be in possession of more merchandise/power tool that was also stolen.”
The suspect was a 31-year-old Rochester man, according to Elk River Police Capt. Joe Gacke.
He was arrested and transported to the Sherburne County Jail in Elk River on warrants and a misdemeanor theft charge.
Someone trespassed at old movie theater
A trespassing incident was reported at the former Elk River movie theater at 570 Freeport Ave.
A person reported that sometime in the overnight hours of March 15 to March 16 someone kicked in plywood covering one of the windows on the south side and entered the building. Nothing appeared taken or damaged.
The suspects had removed a portion of drywall that was used to block off a hole from a previous entry to gain access to the main portion of the building after they entered the south side, according to the police report.
Woman swerves for deer; leaves road
An alarm company reported a crash near Brook Road and Olson Street in Elk River at 5:04 p.m. March 16, with no contact with the driver of the vehicle.
Police arrived and talked to the driver, an 18-year-old Elk River woman, and her father. The woman said she swerved to miss a deer and went off the road into a field.
The impact caused the airbags to deploy, but no damage was observed to the exterior of the vehicle. The car started and was able to be driven home.
Pieces of light pole scattered on street
A light pole was damaged by a vehicle in the 13500 block of 182nd Avenue in Elk River at around 11 p.m. March 16.
The light pole was pushed forward at an angle and the top of the pole was scattered into pieces on the street. Police checked the area; no vehicles were found.
Door smashed at old BP station
Police received an anonymous report on March 13 that the front door to the BP station at 19696 Evans St. was smashed out. An officer contacted the building’s owners who said that they were aware of the damage and were working to get it fixed. They had first noticed the damage on March 4.
Officers checked the building. No one was inside and nothing else was damaged.
Man, 32, cited for shoplifting at store
Police cited a 32-year-old St. Michael man after responding to a report of a theft at Home Depot in Elk River shortly before 4:30 p.m. March 19.
Loss prevention reported that a known suspect selected $122 in merchandise, went beyond all points of sale without making an attempt to pay and fled on foot when confronted by name.
The suspect then fled in a vehicle that registered to him. A call to the suspect went unanswered. A citation for shoplifting was issued and mailed to his last known address, according to the police report.
Truck, camper hits gas pumps, leaves
A hit-and-run was reported at Holiday gas station, 18296 Zane St., Elk River, on March 19.
A black truck pulling a very long white camper reportedly backed into gas pumps and left without reporting the damage. Video confirmed the event and description.
The incident happened shortly before 3 p.m.
$3,960 withdrawn from bank account
A 46-year-old Elk River man reported that someone withdrew $3,960 from his checking account. Police took a fraud report on March 19 and advised the man to file a report with credit bureaus and the Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3.
Teen cited after hitting vehicle in high school lot
A 17-year-old girl was cited after hitting a parked vehicle in the lot at Elk River High School, 900 School St., on March 13. According to the police report, she pulled into the parking spot next to a parked, unoccupied vehicle and struck the rear passenger wheel and rear passenger door. She then backed up, moved over one parking spot and left without leaving her contact information or filing a police report.
Health insurance quest is suspicious
A 41-year-old Elk River man who went online to look into health insurance reported a suspicious situation to police.
The man contacted police March 13 and explained that he wasn’t certain what website he navigated to, but he ended up speaking to a person who sold him an annual health insurance plan for $2,500. The man provided information, including his Social Security number and, eventually, his debit card number.
“The complainant became nervous because he began getting numerous calls afterwards and believes that he may have been scammed,” according to the police report. “His bank was contacted and it was reported as fraud and he had his card canceled.”
A police detective advised him about what to do to protect himself going forward.
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