Oakdale Police Blotter: Man Gets a Ride, Steals Driver's Laptop

After hitching a ride from St. Paul to an Oakdale intersection, a man stole his driver’s bag and laptop and ran, according to an Oakdale Police Department report.

The incident took place at about 1 a.m. Tuesday, June 26.

The complainant said he picked the man up at a White Castle restaurant in St. Paul and gave him a ride to Granada Avenue and Upper 53^rd Street in Oakdale, according to the report.

After the man ran away with the items, police brought out a K-9 that tracked the man to the 6400 block of Lower 57^th Street, the report says, where officers spotted a man carrying a bag. The suspect admitted to the theft in an interview with police, the report says.

The following incidents were also reported to Oakdale police July 26-27:

July 26:

• Between 11 p.m. July 25 and 6 a.m. the next morning, someone broke out the driver’s side window of a car parked in the 7500 block of Fifth Street and stole a $150 Ralph Lauren bag containing an $800 laptop and a $150 mortgage calculator. The property damage estimate is $200.
• Sometime between 9:45 p.m. on July 25 and 6 a.m. the next day someone stole a $100 iPod from an unlocked vehicle parked in the 7500 block of Fifth Street.
• Someone stole items from two unlocked vehicles parked in a driveway in the 8200 block of Ninth Street. A wallet and an $80 pair of sunglasses were stolen from one of the vehicles and a 3M gas card was stolen from the other one.
• A man pumped $58 worth of gas at the at 10^th Street and Hadley Avenue and drove off without paying for it. The suspect’s current address is unknown.
• A woman pumped $92 worth of gas at at 10^th Street and Geneva Avenue and drove off without paying for it. Police checked the address of the registered owner of the vehicle, but found that she no longer resides there.
• A checkbook, expired driver’s license and wallet were stolen from an unlocked vehicle parked in the 500 block of Holly Lane between midnight and 7 a.m.
• Police stopped a driver traveling on Interstate 94 near Neal Avenue who had been clocked by a Washington County Sheriff’s Department officer going 77 mph in a 65 mph zone. The 19-year-old driver, of Woodbury, could not provide proof of insurance for the vehicle, which she said was new. Police had the vehicle towed.

July 27:

• Oakdale firefighters responded around 3 a.m. to a fire in a garage attic in the 7500 block of 43^rd Street. Fire department officers extinguished the fire, and then investigated it. They determined the fire was most likely caused by a lightening strike. Damage was contained in the garage and entry way, and all four occupants of the home were evacuated without any injuries.
• Between 6 p.m. July 26 and 7 a.m. the next day someone broke out the driver’s side window of a vehicle parked in the 3000 block of Granada Avenue and stole a $150 GPS device. The property damage estimate is $250.
• Between 9 p.m. July 25 and 8 a.m. the next day someone entered an unlocked vehicle parked in the 600 block of Heron Avenue and stole an $800 laptop.

The above items are taken from the . In all incidents where an arrest occurred, a charge is merely an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. The arrested person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Incidents are listed in the order in which they were reported, not necessarily the order in which they occurred.