Man, Girlfriend Allegedly Burglarized Stepmom's Apartment

A Pine City man and his girlfriend are charged with burglarizing the Oakdale apartment of the man’s stepmother.

William E. Duffy, 42, allegedly broke into the woman’s apartment in late May while she was away taking care of the man’s father, according to the Washington County District Court Complaint. His girlfriend Heather F. Miller, 41, also of Pine City, is charged with aiding and abetting in the burglary.

The woman reported the burglary at about 9:30 a.m. May 24, according to the complaint. Police responded to the apartment—in the 4100 block of Geneva Avenue—and the woman told them that someone had entered her apartment through the sliding glass patio door and stolen beauty products, toiletries, jewelry, collectibles, tools and clothes, according to the complaint.

The officer noticed pry marks on the apartment’s entrance door, the complaint says.

Police got surveillance footage that showed two people breaking into the woman’s apartment in the early morning hours of May 23, and when she viewed the video, she was able to identify the alleged burglars, the complaint says.

Oakdale and Pine County police executed a search warrant at Duffy and Miller’s home and then questioned the two, the complaint says.

Miller told police that she sat in a car in the parking lot of the apartment while Duffy broke into the apartment, and that he handed her several bags of items, which she put in their car, the complaint says.

Duffy claimed that his stepmother had asked him to burglarize her residence to commit insurance fraud, the complaint says. He said he first attempted to pry the front door open, but then went around to the patio door to get inside. Duffy told police he gave away, threw away or sold most of the items he stole, the complaint says.

Police recovered about $5,250 worth of items in Pine City that had been stolen from the apartment, the complaint says. The woman denied that she had asked Duffy to burglarize her home, the complaint says.

Miller is charged with aiding and abetting second-degree burglary, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and $20,000 in fines. Duffy is charged with second-degree burglary, which also carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.

Duffy’s initial appearance in court is scheduled Aug. 11. Miller’s initial appearance is scheduled Aug. 18.