Oakdale Police Blotter: Man Reports Theft, Police See Him Drive Illegally

A St. Paul man who called police to report that his cousin was refusing to return the cell phone he gave her ended up being the one who got in trouble.

Police told the 23-year-old man that getting back the phone he had given his cousin two months ago was a civil issue, according to a police report on the incident. 

Ten minutes later, the man’s cousin called and reported that he was pounding on her door in the 6000 block of 40^th Street, the report says.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found the man’s license was revoked, so they stopped him, had his car towed and submitted the violation information to the city attorney for charges, according to the report.

Following are other incidents that were reported March 14 - 20:

March 14:

• The New Richmond Police Department reported to Oakdale’s department that a victim’s Bremer Bank card was fraudulently used at three times for purchases totaling $4,062. The card had been stolen from the victim’s vehicle.
• An Oakdale woman reported that her checkbook had been stolen sometime in January and 13 checks totaling $2,730 were forged. The woman closed the account and gave police some possible suspects.
• Two young men got a warning from police after another driver reported they were shining a green laser out of their van as they drove down the freeway. Police located the van at , and the men said they were using a laser, but they weren’t shining it at anyone.

 March 15:

• A resident in the 2500 block of Henslow Avenue reported that between 4 and 5 a.m. someone placed four road barricades, a real-estate sign and a license plate in her driveway and yard. Police didn’t know where the property was taken from, however, they notified the license plate owner.
• Someone stole $275 from two cash registers at Vibrant Life Center between 6:50 p.m. March 14 and 8:30 a.m. March 15. Locks had been replaced since a similar incident occurred the week before. There was no sign of forced entry and the doors were locked when the complainant arrived at the business.
• Police stopped a driver with a suspended license in the 7000 block of 10^th Street and found one-half gram of marijuana in his car’s center console.

March 16:

• Between midnight and 6 a.m. someone entered an unlocked car parked in an unlocked garage in the 6500 block of 22^nd Street and stole a wallet and $200 pair of Oakley sunglasses. Contents from the wallet were later found on a walking path near 15^th Street and Century Avenue.
• Between 5:35 p.m. March 15 and 6:30 a.m. March 16 someone entered property at Highway 5 and Granada Avenue, broke a padlock on a trailer, and stole a $50 Black and Decker battery charger.
• Someone entered an unlocked vehicle parked at and stole a bottle of vodka, a $200 pair of sunglasses, tanning lotion, a garage door opener and paperwork between noon and 12:09 p.m.
• An Oakdale resident reported that someone tried to use his bank account number to make purchases, however the bank caught it while the charges were still pending.
• A complainant reported that a 28-year-old man was posting suicidal statements on Facebook. Police found the man in the lobby of Gentry Place Apartments cutting his neck with a serrated blade knife. He told police he lost his job, broke up with his girlfriend and was off his medication. The Oakdale Fire Department transported him to Regions Hospital.
• Someone reported seeing an 11-year-old boy driving a silver Hyundai in a trailer park in the 6400 block of Lower 56^th Street. When police arrived, the boy’s mother had driven the vehicle away, according to a witness.
• A resident in the 4800 block of Gershwin Avenue reported that someone put chocolate/peanut butter candy bars in her vehicle’s gas tank. She removed the candy bars and purchased fuel injector fluid. It’s unclear whether further damage was done to the vehicle.

• The passenger window of a vehicle parked in the 1300 block of Gentry Avenue was smashed and two purses containing cash and identification cards were stolen. The complainants reported seeing two teenage men running away from the area, however the suspects were gone when police arrived.

March 17

• A complainant interrupted a man trying to break into a coin-operated washing machine in the basement laundry room at Minnehaha Manor. The man fled on foot, and police were unable to locate him. He caused approximately $251 worth of damage to the machine.
• A complainant hired by TCF bank to secure a foreclosed home in the 7000 block of 19^th Street reported that someone had kicked the door open and appeared to be spending nights on a mattress in the home.

March 18

• A resident in the 500 block of Gentry Avenue reported that someone took his concrete lion statue from his front step and smashed it in the street between midnight and 8:30 a.m.
• A resident in the 3900 block of Granada Avenue reported that someone stole a garage door opener from his unlocked vehicle, and then returned and stole a $330 air compressor from his garage.
• The responded to a report of a home in the 6800 block of Eighth Street filled with smoke. Firefighters found the home filled with black smoke, but no flames, and determined the cause was an electrical fire in the downstairs bedroom.

March 19

• An officer saw a man sleeping in a vehicle behind . The man said he was employed to provide security at the business. The guard was found to have a revoked driver’s license. He was told not to drive his vehicle and to stay awake while providing security.
• A 25-year-old Oakdale man was arrested for felony domestic assault by strangulation for allegedly chocking his girlfriend while she was seated inside a parked vehicle in the 2700 block of Granada Avenue. He then allegedly punched the passenger window of the vehicle, after which glass shattered into the car, causing a laceration on the woman’s nose.

March 20

• A man reported that he set his jacket down to use the restroom while at a party in the 1300 block of Gentry Avenue and then when he returned, his wallet was missing from the jacket. The wallet contained a credit card, a bank card and his driver’s license.
• Someone entered two unlocked cars parked in a driveway in the 6800 block of Upper 28^th Street. A $100 faceplate was stolen from one of the vehicles.

The above items are taken from the Oakdale Police Department. 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.