If you have a tip concerning a crime, call the St. Joseph Police Department at 320-363-8250 or Tri-County Crime Stoppers at 320-255-1301 or access its tip site at tricountycrimestoppers.org. Crime Stoppers offers rewards up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for a crime.
May 20
2:08 a.m. Alarm. First Avenue SE. Alarms were going off in the Community Center but the office found no smoke or fire. The fire department arrived to take care of the alarm.
2:48 a.m. Alarm. First Avenue SE. A second alarm went off while the officer was in the parking lot. The alarm company was contacted.
1:13 p.m. Harassment. Baker Street E. A man was reported to be harassing a woman because he wanted to see his son. The man was advised to go through the courts and the woman was advised to complete a trespass form and to seek a court order keeping him away. The man left.
May 21
1:11 p.m. Garbage dumping. Second Avenue NE. There was a report of garbage dumped on a yard. The officer found the person who dumped the garbage is a St. Joseph resident who missed the pickup at her house, so she took the items to her son’s house. Police explained the garbage pickup rules to the woman.
8:24 p.m. Dumping complaint. 12th Avenue SE. A woman found two paint cans with old paint dumped by her mailbox. Neighbors did not see anything. Paint can be dropped off at the hazardous waste facility.
May 23
1:45 p.m. Threats. Iris Lane NE. A man received text messages that listed his family members and contained photos from the internet that appeared to be of murdered people. The sender’s number appeared to be a scam. The man blocked the number.
May 24
2:48 p.m. Harassment. Baker Street E. A woman reported a neighbor was harassing her with letters, Facebook posts and talking about her to other neighbors. The woman is working on getting an order for protection. The woman also said there is a missing key to her apartment. The items were added to the case file and the officer advised the woman to get her locks changed.
May 29
12:54 p.m. Scam. Ash Street E. A woman said she received a letter saying her unemployment benefits had been denied, but she did not apply for benefits. The unemployment office reported someone used the woman’s name, address, date of birth and Social Security number to apply on May 25. A check was sent to an unknown account for $1,340. The account has been locked. The woman was advised to contact her bank, credit card companies, Social Security and her employer. The woman did not lose any money.
June 5
5:48 p.m. Scam. Hill Street W. A woman reported she received a letter about an inheritance. The letter said the inheritance was coming from a relative who had died recently. The person named died three years ago and she was not expecting any inheritance from the death. The woman was advised to discard the letter.
7:30 p.m. Fraud. Cypress Drive. A woman signed up online to have her car wrapped with advertising. She received a check for $2,950 and she called the bank listed. The bank said it sounded like it might be fraudulent. The officer called the phone number listed on the letter that came with the check and it was no good.
June 6
8:39 p.m. Fire. Minnesota Street E. An officer arrived at a fire call and saw smoke coming out of the windows. The officer met with the homeowner who said it was burned food and there was no active fire. The fire department was canceled.
