Oakdale Police Blotter: Pawn Shop Falls Victim to Fake Gold Scheme

Three suspects pawned or sold similar gold bracelets at that turned out to be fakes, and two of them did the same thing at other shops, according to Oakdale Police Department reports.

All of the bracelets tested positive as gold in the store, but then were determined to be fake at a refinery, according to the reports.

One suspect pawned a 14-karat yellow gold bangle bracelet for $475 on Nov. 2, 2011, using a Kansas driver’s license. Automated Pawn System reports show that the same suspect pawned or sold more than 302 grams of similar fake bracelets around the metro area in 14 days, taking in $7,699 total from various shops, according to a police report.

Another suspect pawned a similar bracelet at the shop on Nov. 8, 2011, using a Michigan driver’s license and was paid $400. That suspect had received $2,512 total from various shops for selling fake gold bracelets over the previous 90 days, according to a police report.

A third suspect used a Minnesota driver’s license to sell a similar bracelet to the store Dec. 6 for $680. This suspect didn’t have any additional sales listed in the system, according to a police report.

These thefts were all reported Jan. 12.

The following incidents were also reported to Oakdale police Jan. 11-12:

Jan. 11:

• A manager at reported that an employee reduced prices on items for other employees and customers between Dec. 14 and Dec. 16. The total loss to the store was $41.40. The employee admitted to the theft.
• Police responded to on a report that a suspicious man was trying doors in the hallway. He didn’t go into any rooms. The man left the business, but then officers located him entering the place again. He then ran out the back door, and police were unable to locate him.
• Police stopped a car headed south on Interstate 694 at Fourth Street that had been used in a theft from Liquor Barrel in Mahtomedi. Police turned the people in the vehicle over to a Washington County deputy, who cited them for theft.
• A resident in the 7100 block of Upper 39^th Street got a call from St. Croix County saying that the license plate from their vehicle was used in a gas drive-off. The plates were stolen between Dec. 16 and Dec. 27, and had been replaced. The resident was advised to report that the plates had been stolen to police.
• Between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. someone broke the passenger window out of an SUV parked at the and stole the driver’s purse, worth $200, two $50 gift cards, a check for $25, a checkbook and bank paperwork. The property damage estimate is $200.
• Police stopped a driver in the 1200 block of Gentry Avenue for failure to signal two turns. The driver’s license had been revoked. Police impounded the vehicle he was driving and submitted the report for charges.

Jan. 12:

• Sometime between 10:30 p.m. Jan. 11 and 8:12 a.m. the next day someone broke the front, passenger-side window on a vehicle parked in the 1000 block of Hadley Avenue and stole a $150 GPS device. The property damage estimate is $300.
• Sometime between 5:15 p.m. Jan. 11 and 8 a.m. the next day someone smashed the front passenger window of a vehicle parked in an underground garage in the 5600 block of Hadley Avenue and stole a $225 iPod Touch, $225 sunglasses and a $75 gas gift card. Video surveillance showed a man gaining entry into the garage with an unknown tool around 2:45 a.m. The property damage estimate is $250.
• Sometime between 7:12 a.m. and 3:55 p.m. on Jan. 10 someone broke the front, passenger-side window of a car parked at . The property damage estimate is $200.
• Sometime between 6 p.m. Jan. 9 and 3 p.m. Jan. 12 someone broke the door lock on the passenger side door of a vehicle parked in the 4000 block of Geneva Avenue and pried the top of the door to break in. A car stereo, amplifier, subwoofer, subwoofer case and multiple tools with a total value of $560 were stolen. The property damage estimate is $400.

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.