Oakdale Police Blotter: Officer Thwarts Plan to Siphon Gas

An Oakdale Police officer foiled a man’s plan to siphon gas from a work van at Ethan Allen Wednesday, Feb. 22, according to an Oakdale Police Department report.

The officer saw the man park next to the van around 1 a.m., while the business—located in the 3200 block of Granada Avenue—was closed, the report says.

He watched as the man got a gas can and siphon hose from his trunk, and then went over to the van and opened the gas door, according to the report.  

When confronted the man stopped and admitted to the attempted theft, according to the report. He was cited for driving after suspension, the report says.

The following incidents were also reported to Oakdale police Feb. 20-23:

Feb. 20:

• A GPS device, Direct TV receiver, tool belt, hand tools and a cordless drill were stolen from a minivan parked in the 600 block of Hale Avenue. The driver’s side window was broken out of the van, causing $200 damage.
• Five vehicles parked at were tampered with. The passenger side window of one of the vehicles—a commercial truck—was broken, and a rear side door was open. Two other vehicles had doors open. The other two had gas caps open. At the time of the report, it was unknown whether anything was stolen.
• An anonymous complainant reported seeing two people dressed in all black running from townhouses in the 6700 block of Gretchen Place. Police didn’t find the people, however they found a car with the driver’s side door open and without a stereo. They were unable to make contact with the car’s owner.

Feb. 21:

• Police were dispatched to the ramp from Highway 5 onto northbound Interstate 694 on a report of a hazardous materials incident involving a tanker truck hauling liquid nitrogen. The Minnesota State Patrol and fire department were already on the scene when police arrived. Police helped by shutting down the right lane of traffic.
• A parent called police to report that his daughter told him her mother punched her in the left arm, pulled her hair and grabbed her left arm on Feb. 17 after picking her up from school. The girl had no visible injuries, but had a sore neck and left side from the alleged assault. The man was advised not to let his daughter see her mother.

Feb. 22:

• A wallet containing a check card and identification card was stolen from a locked vehicle in the 3600 block of Genevieve Avenue between 8 p.m. Feb. 21 and 4:30 a.m. the next day. The check card had already been used, and was canceled at the time of the report.
• A resident in the 400 block of Glenbrook Avenue reported that a $300 gold ring, $200 gold chain, $300 gold and diamond wedding band, $2,300 gold men’s watch and jar with $100 in coins was stolen from her home while she and her husband were in Hawaii from Jan. 2 to Feb. 18. Her adult son had stayed at the home, and had a party while they were gone. The son gave the woman a name of someone he said was responsible. Police are investigating the theft.
• An Oakdale woman reported that someone used her debit card on Feb. 19 at a Walmart store in Pennsylvania to pay a $105 bill. The woman had the card in her possession, and it’s unknown how the information was compromised.
• An enclosed trailer was damaged while parked at . The deadbolt lock was damaged, as well as metal flashing and the trailer door. Nothing was stolen, however the property damage estimate was $400.
• An Oakdale woman reported that around 4:30 a.m. she saw that the door to her vehicle was open and that someone had rummaged through it. The vehicle had been left unlocked, and nothing was stolen, however she was concerned about identity theft because bank statements and insurance information was on the seat of the car.

Feb. 23:

• A vehicle was stolen from the Carmike Cinema lot between 9:40 p.m. Feb. 22 and just after midnight. The vehicle is worth about $1,500.

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.