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The Sun Newspaper reported that burglars recently broke into a Minnetonka gun store and stole about 30 firearms. These burglars tried earlier that night to break in the Glen Lake Gun Shop but the alarm stopped them.
When police arrived the first time, no guns were reported stolen. After the police left, the burglars came back and within an hour before the first employee came to work, the thieves left behind shards of shattered glass after they smashed and grabbed four cases full of guns. The types of guns missing are 30 handguns, including .22s, .38s, .45s and Glock’s.
About three years ago, 70 guns were stolen at a store in Richfield. In the following months, guns turned up at a high school, on a school bus, one was used to shoot at a police officer and others have been used in violent crimes. Of the 70 firearms stolen three years ago, only a few have been recovered.
It is important that these criminals and guns be found. If you have information, call Minnetonka Police at 952-939-8500 or call the confidential tip line at 952-935-8000.
On June 2, 2008, Matthew Gretz admitted to a judge that he killed his artist wife, Kira Simonian, last June 29, 2007. This highly publicized murder in Hennepin County, Minnesota is now finally closed.
But what makes this crime so bizarre is the way Matthew Gretz committed the crime. On the morning of the murder, neighbors heard violent arguing in the couple’s apartment. Then they heard a man yell, “Do you love me?” and moments later, a woman screamed, twice, and then silence. Moments later Gretz was seen leaving the apartment and getting into a cab heading to the airport. Gretz who worked for Target claimed that he was on a business trip and knew nothing about the murder until he returned.
Here is where this murder has a similar pattern to Scott Peterson’s bizarre murder of his wife Laci. When Gretz returned, he had the audacity to play the role of grieving husband just as Scott Peterson pretended to be. Gretz even spoke at a public vigil three weeks after his wife’s death. He was crying and talking about how hard it was to cope everyday with the loss of his wife. When in reality, he was the one who stabbed her in the neck and chest 15 times and bludgeoned her head with a claw hammer.
Actually, police suspected Gretz from the start. Police thought it was unusual for Gretz to fly home from New York while he shipped his suitcase via Federal Express to relatives in Chicago. When the police seized and searched the suitcase, they found blood on the suitcase and other items in the suitcase. A DNA test matched Gretz and his wife’s blood. Gretz also had scratches and bruises consistent with a fight.
On the morning of the jury selection Gretz changed his mind and plead guilty to second-degree murder. What is still a mystery is “why” he killed his wife. Just like in the Scott Peterson’s case, we will probably never know why he killed his wife.
Another bad guy is off the streets in Minnesota.
A St. Louis Park man who was a suspect in at least one bank robbery recently was apprehended. He was running away from the police but after shots were fired, he surrendered. Once apprehended, the D.A indicted him on five armed bank robberies.
Suresh Harlan Small, age 26, was no stranger to bank robberies. In the past, he was charged with just one count of bank robbery from a holdup at a TCF Bank in St. Anthony. He was convicted of robbing this bank. He was out on bail when a federal grand jury issued an indictment on May 6th adding charges related to two more robberies at the same St. Anthony bank and two more at a St. Louis Park TCF Bank.
According to the indictment, Small allegedly used force, violence and intimidation to rob the St. Anthony TCF Bank Nov. 2, 2007, Jan. 11 and March 28 and the St. Louis Park TCF Bank at 8020 Hwy. 7 Feb. 1 and March 13 of this year.
If convicted, Small faces a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison for each bank robbery count. According to my calculations, this gives him 125 years in prison. And, oh yes, he is in custody awaiting his court appearance. This time Mr. Small won’t be getting out to commit more bank robberies.
The Coons Rapid Crime Prevention has put out a warning and is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction of two robbery and assault suspects in the area. These brutal attacks and robberies have occurred in the city over the past two months.
Police are looking for two men in their early twenties who attack their victims from behind and assault and rob them. All of the attacks are similar but are escalating in their attacks. Since March 5th, five people – one woman and four men – have been ambushed, assaulted and robbed. All of the attacks occurred within a half-mile of the intersection of Coons Rapid Blvd. and Hanson Blvd.
The police are asking people not to walk or bike alone after dark in the area and to travel in groups. But most important, be alert!
Don’t let these criminals intimidate your neighborhood. If you have information call the Coon Rapids Police at 763-767-6481 or the Anoka County Sheriff at 763-427-1212.
Early Sunday morning two rapists attacked a coed at the University of Minnesota dormitory. The rape occurred on the third floor of Pioneer Hall in one of the four-dorm buildings near East River Road.
An email alert was sent to all students and faculty members on campus at the University. Unfortunately, no one saw anything suspicious during that time. What is puzzling to police is that despite having over 1,200 surveillance cameras the police haven’t been able to identify the rapists.
Two young light-skinned black men between the ages of 18 and 24 confronted the coed in stairwell near a third floor men’s restroom in Pioneer Hall. One suspect grabbed the victim and pulled her into the restroom. The second suspect held her down while the first suspect assaulted her. When the assailants ran, the victim was able to get help from a friend in the building. The victim was able to give police a good description of her assailants who she did not know.
Campus police said that this was the first sexual assault of a victim by a stranger reported this year. In 2007 there were three assaults reported on campus and only two in 2006.
If you have information, contact University Police at 612-624-COPS or call an anonymous tip line at 612-626-TIPS.
Back in January of this year, a violent home invasion happened at a Robbinsdale, Minnesota home. The police are focusing on two Minneapolis residents who have ties to the Emerson Murder Boys Gang.
The owner of the home, Jamis Marks 28, was killed by two armed men with rifles during the robbery. These criminals also stole watches, jewelry, credit cards, cell phones and intimidated the surviving household members. Police were in shock at the brutality of this home invasion. However, they did receive good tips linking two 22 year old men bragging about robbing houses. These criminals also bragged about committing physical violence towards their victims. No arrest have been made yet.
On the north side of Minneapolis, gangs roam the streets and commit crimes. Police have said that gangs in Minneapolis tend to be affiliated with large national collectives such as the Bloods, Crips and Vice Lords, but only loosely. Local “sets”, such as the Emerson Murder Boys, often have nothing to do with other sets that claim allegiance to the same gang. They may be rivals, killing one another over drugs and women. These local sets of gangs also change names and affiliations and when they do commit crimes, such as a home invasion, tend to be more violent.
If you have any tips about this home invasion in Robbinsdale, please contat your local police department. Minnesotans should not have to put up with violent gang members roaming the streets and killing its innocent citizens.
This week is the National Crime Victims’ Identity Theft Rights week. The national theme this year is “Every Victim, Every Time.” This is to remind us that every victim deserves respect and compassion, assistance to recover from the impact of this crime and full access to the criminal justice system.
Governor Tim Pawlenty, governor of Minnesota, recently announced executive actions and legislative proposals to curb Identity Theft. He proposes to increase the penalties for identity theft to gross misdemeanors and felonies. This crime occurs when your personal identifying information such as Social Security number or driver’s license is stolen and used to commit fraud or other crimes.
The Federal Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse reported that 2,872 Minnesotans were victims of identity theft in 2006. Minnesota is ranked 33rd in the nation in per capita identity theft reports. Resolving identity theft has caused Minnesotans hundreds of dollars and on average 81 hours to repair the damage to their good name and credit record.
You can go to the Federal Trade Commission’s Web site for helpful information on Identity Theft. This site also contains valuable consumer information on the steps to take if you become a victim.
Call it what you want – blunt, pot, grass, reefer, ganja, joint, weed, Mary Jane, Sinsemilla, roach, Thai Sticks, smoke and dope – but marijuana is still illegal and a dangerous drug especially in the hands of teenagers.
Recently, six men were busted on federal charges of running a marijuana growing operations out of their homes in Brooklyn, Park, Burnsville, Eagan, Inver Grove Heights, Lakeville and other Twin Cities suburbs. More than 4,900 plants were seized and police recovered more than $31,000 in cash at the one Brooklyn Park home. Dan Moren, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in Minneapolis said that this could be one of the largest marijuana growing operations in the history of Minnesota.
During the raids, more than 2,300 plants were seized at two Maplewood homes. Other large quantities of marijuana were found at various locations. Each of the six men face charges of conspiracy to manufacture 1,000 or more marijuana plants.
Back in June 2007, a $1.8million marijuana garden was seized containing 1,254 plants from inside an Apple Valley, Minnesota man’s home. DEA officials were tipped off about the marijuana growing by the electric company who responded to a burned out transformer outside the man’s home. The DEA found he had tapped into the electric line ahead of the meter, apparently to power grow lights for his crop without suspiciously affecting his electrical bill.
Marijuana is Minnesota’s most commonly used and readily available illegal drug. Marijuana is still shipped into the state and controlled by Mexican drug trafficking organizations. However, large quantities are homegrown. Perhaps with this latest episode buying marijuana will be in short supply.
Early Sunday morning the fire department responded to ten structures set on fire at Big Pine Lake five miles from Finlayson, Minnesota. Ten structures were on fire and three other structures were burglarized. Most of the structures were vacant cabins within a two-mile area of each other along Big Pine Road.
This beautiful summer recreation spot is now totally devastated. Fifty-year-old cabins filled with happy memories of generations are gone. A sportsmen’s club a few miles away was also among the burned buildings but some of the structure is still standing.
The police said that the arsonists made their rounds of each of the cabins, burglarizing the cabins and then burned them as they went. Police authorities also said that there have been similar incidents in the neighboring Aitkin and Kanabec counties. Police are investigating to see whether any of the crimes are connected.
The Minnesota Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators makes a determination on reward money for information about arson. For example, you can receive up to $2,500 for information or assistance that leads to the arrest of person(s) on a charge of arson. The crime of arson is malicious, intentional and willful destruction of property. Add burglary before the crime and now you have a double crime against innocent people. If you have any information to help solve this crime, contact the Arson Hotline Number at 1-800-723-2020.
In early March of this year three shootings deaths occurred in less than 11 hours time. This violent weekend in the Twin Cities saw two teenagers gunned down in a drive-by shooting and a woman shot to death through the door and window of her home right in front of her children.
Another episode took place on a Saturday evening of the same weekend where a 14 year old Minneapolis boy was shot. Police believe this shooting could be linked to another shooting of an 18 year old boy later that day. These drive-by shootings that killed Hispanic teenagers, occurred within four hours and 4 miles of each other. So far no one has been arrested. The motives in the drive-by cases are uncertain, but authorities in Richfield and Minneapolis said they are looking into possible gang ties, including to the Vatos Locos gang.
Recently a St. Paul man was arrested on April 4th for his alleged role in a drive-by shooting on Interstate 94 in Brooklyn Center that killed a Fridley man. Isai Flores, also known as “Easy E,” was charged with aiding and abetting, attempted second-degree murder and aiding and abetting a drive-by shooting in a Dec. 10, 2006 drive-by shooting.
Authorities believed that Flores fled to Mexico in early 2007 but returned to the Twin Cities last month. The authorities are also charging Flores with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. The Minnesota Fugitive Task Force arrested Flores without incident at a St. Paul apartment complex.
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