Oakdale Police Blotter: Theft Attempt Leaves Car With $1,000 Damage

Someone caused more than $1,000 damage to a car parked in the 4000 block of Geneva Avenue in an apparent attempt to steal it, according to an Oakdale Police Department report.

The car’s dashboard had been torn apart sometime between 7:20 p.m. Feb. 10 and 6 a.m. Feb. 12, and the car would no longer start, according to the report.

The car was locked, its owner said, and it’s unclear how someone got inside, the report says.

The following incidents were also reported to Oakdale police Feb. 12-17:

Feb. 12:

• A resident in the 3600 block of Garden Court reported that someone claiming they wanted to buy a boat that he had advertised on Craigslist sent two cashier’s checks that totaled more than twice the price of the boat. He knew it was a scam, and incurred no loss.
• A driver who was pulled over at 10^th Street and Helena Avenue for not wearing a seatbelt was cited for possession of a small amount of marijuana, no driver’s license in possession and not wearing a seatbelt. During the traffic stop, the officer smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the car, and the driver turned over a baggie containing a green leafy substance that field tested positive for marijuana. The passenger in the car was also cited for not wearing a seatbelt.

Feb. 13:

• A student was cited after an administrator reported that she had a small amount of marijuana in her possession.
• A juvenile was cited for fifth-degree assault based on an investigation of an incident that occurred at Tartan High School on Feb. 10.
• A $100 GPS device was stolen from an unlocked vehicle in an open attached garage in the 7200 block of 38^th Street. 
• A man in his forties entered , and told a woman there how cute she was. He asked her several personal questions and tried to kiss her. She told him to leave. Employees were advised to call police if he showed up at the store again.

Feb. 14:

• An Oakdale woman said her credit card company called to tell her that her husband’s credit card was used three times in Toronto, Canada. The total charged was $318. It’s unclear how someone obtained his credit card information.
• A driver was taken to the hospital and two cars were severely damaged due to a collision in the 7300 block of 10^th Street. One driver was headed west on 10^th Street when the other driver made a left turn in front of them. Witnesses said the car turning left had failed to yield to the right of way. One driver was cited.
• Someone stole 48-inch and 32-inch televisions from an apartment in the 4000 block of Geneva Avenue. The front door of the apartment had been locked, according to the resident, but the patio door was open.

Feb. 15:

• A complainant reported that she was assaulted near Seventh Street and Greenway Avenue at about 2:50 p.m. She had redness in her neck area due to being punched.
• A credit card from a wallet lost at was later fraudulently used at two St. Paul retail stores. The complainant said she believed that her wallet fell out of her unzipped purse while she was unloading merchandise from a shopping cart into her vehicle around 1:25 p.m. She didn’t discover the wallet was missing until later.
• Someone broke out the front, passenger side window of a car while parked at between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m. A lunch bag of no value was taken. The property damage estimate is $200.

Feb. 16:

• A juvenile was cited for assault at Tartan High School after admitting to punching someone else in the face.
• Someone stole items including a $363 iPhone, $180 sweatshirt, identification cards and gift cards from an unlocked locker in the men’s locker room at between 3:50 and 4:50 p.m.

Feb. 17:

• An Oakdale man said he received a call from a man named “Michael Smith” who claimed to be an attorney. He told the man that, “At 1600 hours you will lose your job and the police will be at your house.” He said the man needed to repay a $500 loan, and that he could go to jail or pay $638. The man hadn’t taken out a loan. “Michael Smith” ended the conversation by telling the man to shut his face and hanging up on him.

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.