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.
Nov. 15
9:19 a.m. Fire. 30837 CR 133. Upon arrival, officer observed a shed was fully engulfed. Officer engaged squad lights and directed traffic. Once fire was out, officer spoke with the deputy on scene, Fire Chief Taufen and homeowner. Homeowner said a propane heater in the garage started the fire and he was unable to get it out. Chief Taufen said scene appears consistent with homeowner’s story and he was not going to request the fire marshall or any further investigation. Shed is a total loss. One vehicle damaged. One vehicle total loss. Tractor and other miscellaneous items in garage total loss. Homeowner advised he did not have any of the items insured. Photos taken.
11:52 a.m. Theft. 200 Second Ave. NW. The caller, a communications coordinator for College of St. Benedict’s security, reported a theft occurred between 12:30 and 12:45 a.m. Nov. 13 at Kwik Trip west. During that time, caller said one of their fleet vehicles was at Kwik Trip, a spare security car with magnets on the side, and someone stole a magnet off the car, valued at $50. Video surveillance from Kwik Trip was not available at this time so officer decided to check back later. CSB security later sent an email saying they had located the responsible party and got their magnet back. No further action wanted.
Nov. 16
10:59 a.m. Vehicle crash. Fourth Avenue SE. Officer was dispatched to a crash with no injuries and not blocking in front of Graceview Estates. Officer arrived on scene and spoke with both drivers, got both sides of the story, took photos, exchanged their information, and no tow or ambulance needed. Minnesota crash report filed.
6:08 p.m. Dogs at large. 20th Avenue SE. Anonymous caller stated residents from the Oaks Apartment let their dogs run around without a leash, come onto his property, and deficate and urinate on his property. The caller stated he lives close by and has children like to go outside but he is scared to let them out due to the dogs. Officer emailed Oaks manager to send a message to the residents.
Nov. 17
1:57 p.m. Speeding. CR 75/CR 2. While running stationary radar on CR 75 facing east, officer observed a vehicle traveling eastbound; radar single indicated vehicle was doing 75 mph in a 60-mph zone. Officer conducted a traffic stop. Driver indicated he did not know how fast he was going because he was talking to his passenger. Driver said he knew the speed limit was 60 mph. Driver’s insurance expired in August 2022. Officer issued driver a citation for speeding and warned him on the proof of insurance.
7:02 p.m. Harassment. Northland Drive. Caller told police that people were calling her phone on FaceTime over and over again within 15 minutes. Officer wrote down all phone numbers calls were coming from. Officer told caller to block the numbers and caller said she was able to see two of the people and said they were females around college age. Caller was not scammed out of anything and did not give any personal info but wanted incident documented and did not want officer to contact the numbers. Caller said if the numbers continued to call after officer left she would call back and then she blocked the numbers.
8:01 p.m. CO alarm. 10th Avenue SE. Caller stated her CO alarm was going off when she came home from work, but she needed to leave. When she came back 2.5 hours later, it was still going off. Caller was not complaining of any illnesses related to CO poisoning. Fire arrived on scene and determined there was no carbon monoxide, just a bad battery in the detector.
Nov. 18
10:44 a.m. 911 hang-up. Minnesota Street W. Dispatched to American Legion-St. Joseph for a 911 hangup. This has been an ongoing issue for some time. Officer called Legion manager and she advised everything was OK. Phone issues.
7:56 p.m. 911 hang-up. Minnesota Street W. Officer dispatched to a 911 hang up at American Legion-St. Joseph. Dispatch said upon call back that the phone was static. Officer called into the Legion and staff advised they were good. They stated they did not call 911 and are aware of the phone issue.
