If you have a tip concerning a crime, call the St. Joseph Police Department at 320-363-8250 or Tri-County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-255-1301 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.
April 6
6:48 p.m. Unwanted person. 13th Avenue SE. An officer was dispatched to an unwanted. The complainant stated he did not want person in house. Another resident stated he invited the unwanted person. Both parties were told it’s a civil issue.
April 7
3:14 p.m. Lost wallet. 304 College Ave. N. The complainant called to report she lost her wallet while at Holiday on College Avenue N. She said she was at Holiday between 2:15-2:30 p.m. She thought she put it in her pocket and later noticed it missing. She said she went back to Holiday and nothing was turned in. She said she checked all her pockets, her purse and car. Advised her nothing was turned into St. Joseph Police Department. The officer advised her to cancel all her cards and informed her SJPD would contact her if it’s turned in.
On April 8, the post office called and reported a wallet was found in their mailbox at the post office. An officer arrived on scene and picked up the wallet. The wallet belonged to the complainant. The officer called and left a message for her that she could pick up her wallet at SJPD. Wallet brought back to SJPD.
April 8
2:35 a.m. Suspicious vehicle. 12th Avenue SE. An officer was dispatched to a suspicious-vehicle call. The anonymous caller reported there was a truck running and parked on the street for the last 15 minutes and wanted it checked out. The officer arrived on scene and observed it was a Spectrum truck, spoke with the driver who stated he had gotten a headache, took some aspirin and was resting for a little bit. The officer did not ID the driver as there was no crime.
April 9
3:09 p.m. Parking/noise violations. Morningside Loop. An anonymous individual came into the police department and wanted to speak with an officer. They met with the individual and gathered information. The officer learned the home owner has been parking a truck and trailer on the street which is creating issues for neighbors and learned there is also an issue with noise violations coming from the residence as well as other issues. The officer advised they would notify St. Joseph police staff to watch for 72-hour parking violations in front of the residence, and also spoke and provided some options on the other issues. No further at this time.
April 10
3:37 p.m. Medical. 20th Avenue SE. An officer was dispatched to a medical for a 27-year-old man who was possibly having a panic attack. Officer responded and arrived with St. Joseph Rescue. Contact was made with the victim who was lying on his bedroom couch. The officer stood by as St. Joseph Rescue provided medical aid and gathered information. Mayo ambulance responded and ultimately transported man to the hospital.
April 12
7:45 p.m. Noise complaint. Jefferson Lane. Officer dispatched to a noise complaint. The complainant stated one of his neighbors was playing loud music. The officer heard music coming from residence. Spoke with resident, advised him of the complaint and the noise ordinance. Resident said he understood and said he would turn down the music.
April 13
3:43 p.m. Crash w/injuries. Minnesota Street W./Third Avenue NW. Officers arrived on scene and gathered driver and insurance info. One person had a laceration to the bridge of her nose, but refused medical treatment. She and a passenger were both wearing seat belts. The only airbags that were deployed were in her vehicle.
April 14
3:36 p.m. Suspicious incident. Iverson Street W. The complainant stated when she arrived home, the garage was open and the front door was unlocked. A maintenance person was in the home earlier in the day but stated he locked the home. The complainant’s children went into the home when they got home but were waiting outside when the officer arrived. Officer walked through the house but did not locate anyone inside, so they advised the complainant to call if anything is found to be missing.
April 15
9:47 p.m. Suspicious incident. Fir Street E./First Avenue NE. Complainant reported there were two juvenile men that were walking around a house with flashlights. The complainant also reported the men left 15 minutes before calling. Officers searched the area and did not locate anyone in the area.
April 16
9:57 a.m. Theft. Second Avenue NW. Complainant reported her lawn mower that was on the north side of the building under a tarp was stolen sometime between Saturday, April 12 and Tuesday, April 15. The complainant described it as a lawnmower with a red bagger; a blue tarp was also missing. Unknown make or model valued at approximately $75. No suspects or video. Signed stolen property report completed. Then, the complainant called back and stated her lawn mower was not stolen. It was taken by the person who mows the lot to fix it.
April 17
3:31 p.m. Disorderly conduct. 13th Avenue SE. Caller reported a man was impaired and was hitting walls with a large stick. The officers were aware there has been an on-going civil matter between the homeowner and tenant. Homeowner wanted tenant arrested for being impaired and harassing him. One of the officers stated after telling homeowner they weren’t going to do that, homeowner told officer they no longer needed to be there then.
April 18
10:17 p.m. Assault. Minnesota Street W. Officers were dispatched to the American Legion for an assault. The bartender reported there was an altercation over a wallet. Bartender reported the suspect was walking toward The Middy Bar and had a black shirt with “NASA” on it. Bartender reported the victim had also left but bartender had victim’s name. Two officers responded to the area. One of the officers searched for the suspect in the area, but did not locate him. Officers went into The Middy and spoke with the bartender. They did not locate the suspect. One of the officers responded to the American Legion and made contact with the bartender. In speaking with bartender, the officer learned the victim had won money gambling. The officer learned victim won $1,610 because it was listed on a record which also had his personal information on it. The officer learned, as bartender was counting the money out, the suspect wearing the ‘NASA’ shirt went up to victim and asked him for a drink three times. Victim didn’t want anything to do with the suspect. Bartender then observed the two men were fighting and went outside. There was a comment made about the suspect stealing money from the victim. The officer also learned both victim and the suspect left the American Legion. The officer was able to identify victim and located a cell phone number for him in local records. Attempted to call victim, he did not answer, so the officer left him a voicemail. A short time later, victim texted the officer and said he was fine and did not want any drama. Victim said the suspect, who was unknown to him, did attempt to rob him but he was able to stop him. Victim said he did not want to press charges. Based on there being no cooperation from the victim, no further action will be taken unless new information is received.
April 20
5:07 a.m. Crash aid. CR 75/CR 134. An officer responded to a crash for Stearns County. The officer cleared debris and provided lights.
April 21
12:26 a.m. Suspicious activity. Ridgewood Road. While on patrol, an officer saw an open gate at C&L Excavating. The buildings were secure and the officer did not see anything suspicious in the yard. They left a voice message with owners requesting a call back. The officer informed Stearns County Sheriff’s office of the open gate.
Owner called at 5:28 a.m., stating he was the one to leave the gate open the previous night.
