Robberies are escalating in St. Cloud, police ask for help

Several robberies have occurred during the past week in St. Cloud. On Sunday morning, a store clerk was held up at gunpoint. The victim was uninjured.

At about 10 minutes before 9 a.m. on Sunday, there was an active robbery at the Holiday Station Store in the 300 block of Fifth Avenue South in St. Cloud, according to a release. The store clerk told St. Cloud Police Department officers that a male suspect entered the store, pointed a handgun at him and demanded money and other items, the release said.

The suspect remains at large.

This occurrence is one of many in a spree of recent burglaries in St. Cloud. The St. Cloud Police Department, according to a release, is currently investigating a series of burglaries that occurred in the early morning to mid-morning hours at several homes on the city's south side on Monday. These incidents occurred over a fairly wide geographic area, ranging mostly from Ninth Avenue to Cooper Avenue. The suspect is cutting window screens and entering through unlocked windows.

The incidents on Monday morning occurred from 6 to 10 a.m. in the area between Seventh and Eighth Street South, from Washington Memorial Drive to 18th Avenue South. In addition, there were break-ins at about 7:30 a.m. near 17th Avenue and Second Street North.

The police department is reminding citizens to keep their windows and doors locked and to be alert for anyone suspicious in their neighborhood, and to immediately call 911 if they see anything unusual.

If a person has a home surveillance system that has captured any suspicious activity that would be helpful to these burglary investigations, to please contact the St. Cloud Police Department.

These are active investigations and anyone with information is asked to contact the St. Cloud Police Department at 320-251-1200, Tri-County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-255-1301 or www.tricountycrimestoppers.org.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Robberies are escalating in St. Cloud, police ask for help