If you have a tip concerning a crime, call the Sartell Police Department at 320-251-8186 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 3
7:14 a.m. Theft from vehicle. Roberts Road. A person reported an unlocked vehicle had been broken into and several items were missing. Items taken included a bag with four outfits and four pairs of shoes, insurance cards, change and $200 worth of gift cards. The complainant called back stating they had found two pairs of shoes they believed to be theirs at Plato’s Closet. Store staff provided the officer with the name of the man who sold the shoes and the staff requested more information through the corporate office for police.
May 4
8:43 p.m. Intoxicated person. Sunset Avenue. Officers went to a domestic in progress call. Dispatch received two calls about a woman screaming in the road that a man had attempted to choke her. Officers met with multiple people, some who were intoxicated and uncooperative. The officers were able to identify the screaming woman. The man tried to interject himself into the investigation and was told repeatedly to not interfere. Eventually that man was identified and it was found he had a misdemeanor warrant from Stearns County. He was not taken to jail because of Covid restrictions. The intoxicated woman wanted her boyfriend removed from the home because he had been making threatening statements, but the man resided at the home. Officers assisted in making arrangements for the woman to stay elsewhere for the night. The woman was told to make a written statement at the police department.
May 5
4:51 p.m. Unwanted person. Fourth Avenue South. A man who was not supposed to be there was reported in a gated area of a storage facility. He was gone when an officer arrived. The caller said the man had been accessing another renter’s unit with permission. The man was asked to leave and he did. The complainant told the officer if the man was located, they wanted him served with trespass paperwork. The officer was familiar with the parties and knew there was a no-contact order. Later that evening the man was found in Sauk Rapids and arrested for the domestic abuse no-contact order violation. The officer issued a verbal no trespass order.
May 6
4:33 p.m. Parking violation. Riverview Intermediate School. An officer noticed a vehicle parked in the fire lane near the ball fields. The officer asked the woman to move her vehicle and she did.
May 7
11:23 p.m. Verbal dispute. Amber Avenue S. A resident reported a woman yelling for help. Officers checked the hallways and could hear a loud argument coming from an apartment. A man and a woman were having an argument. Officers assisted with getting the woman’s keys to the residence in case she wanted to leave. The two parties did not need anything further from the officers. They were advised to keep it down and to call if either needed help.
May 8
8:41 p.m. Domestic. CR 120. Officers were called to a disturbance in a vehicle in a business parking lot. The caller stated it was physical and there was a woman screaming from the back seat of a minivan. Officers found both parties. The man said his sister became upset over a cash app and began kicking him in the back from the middle passenger seat while he was in the front seat. The man denied hitting her back in self-defense. Another officer spoke to the woman who gave the same story as the man. The man did not want anything done about the situation. The officers told both parties to call if they needed any further assistance.
May 9
12:44 a.m. Gunshots. Amber Avenue S. A resident reported what were believed to be gunshots in an apartment building. Multiple officers responded to the location and canvassed the building. No other sounds were heard while on scene, but dispatch did receive other calls. One resident thought it could have been a vehicle backfiring in the parking lot. Officers waited in the area for a while to ensure there were no further noise issues.
May 10
12:08 a.m. Suspicious activity. Sunset Avenue. A complainant reported a woman throwing rocks and garbage at a vehicle. The complainant said the woman left the area in a maroon vehicle. The officer arrived to find a silver Mazda with rocks and garbage on it. The caller showed the officer a video of the woman throwing the garbage. Officers contacted the Mazda’s owner who said he was aware of what happened and he knew the woman. He was not concerned.
May 11
11:02 p.m. Noise. 10th Avenue N. A caller reported hearing three loud beeps every few seconds. The officer located the beeps coming from a trash bin. The officer closed the lid and told the caller to notify management if the beeps continued.
May 12
10:48 a.m. Traffic stop. 13th Avenue N. An officer saw a vehicle and driver known to him from previous contacts. The officer noticed the vehicle’s registration was expired and the woman’s driving status was revoked. The officer stopped the vehicle. The woman told the officer she knew she should not be driving but wanted to go to garage sales. The officer ran the woman through dispatch and learned she had a misdemeanor warrant and multiple driving-after-suspension incidents. The woman has been deemed a habitual violator by the state of Minnesota. The officer contacted the Stearns County Jail to see if they would accept the woman with current Covid restrictions and the officer was informed they would. As the woman was taken into custody, she handed the officer drug paraphernalia she had previously concealed. The woman was transported to the jail, booked and held for court.
May 13
12:25 a.m. Stalled vehicle. Grizzly Lane. A vehicle stalled in the flooded road. The officer found a man outside the vehicle walking around it. The man identified himself to the officer as the son to the driver and he told the officer his father was the driver. The parties tried jumping the vehicle with no luck. A tow was called for the vehicle. During the interaction, the officer learned the son had a gross misdemeanor theft warrant out of Benton County. Benton County confirmed they would like a hold placed. The man was taken into custody without incident. The officer transported the man to Sauk Rapids to meet a Benton County Deputy to transport the man the rest of the way to jail.
May 14
8:09 p.m. Assist agency. CR 1. A Sartell officer assisted Stearns County with what sounded like a kayaker flipped in the river. The officer located one of the kayakers, who was standing alongside the river on CR 1. He informed the officer that everyone was out and safe. The officer notified all responding agencies. A deputy arrived a short time later and took over the call.
May 15
6:56 p.m. Juvenile problem. 15th Street S. There was a report of juveniles breaking glass by garages. The officer located two juveniles and a woman breaking glass with a slingshot. They admitted to breaking the glass. The officer asked them to clean up the glass they had broken. The three went inside and came out with a broom and started cleaning up the broken glass.
May 16
9:16 a.m. Community policing. Seventh Street N. A Sartell officer assisted with a parade from Pine Meadow Primary School to Riverview Intermediate School for second graders.
May 17
8:21 a.m. Hazard. Fifth Avenue N. A caller reported a power pole down. The officer located the pole and found it was snapped in half with the wires and pole partially in the road. It appeared the pole was struck by a vehicle, however no car parts or evidence were left behind. The officer remained until Xcel Energy arrived.
May 18
12:44 a.m. Traffic stop. CR 1. An officer saw a vehicle erratically change lanes multiple times in a short distance. The officer checked the license plate and found that the registered owner of the vehicle was suspended. The officer stopped the vehicle and identified the driver as the registered owner of the vehicle. The driver told the officer he thought he was being followed and someone was flashing their lights at him, the officer informed the driver that his erratic driving drew attention to himself. The driver stated he was not aware of his suspended driving status. The driver was unable to provide proof of insurance. The driver was cited for driving after suspension and no insurance. The vehicle was towed.
May 19
7:36 a.m. Theft. Sandstone Loop S. An officer was dispatched to a theft of a trailer on a job site. The officer spoke to the trailer’s owner who told the officer when he arrived he noticed the trailer missing, the lock securing the hitch had been cut and left on the ground. The owner told the officer a few weeks ago he had called because someone broke into the trailer and stole his tools and that he had just replaced everything. The owner estimated that $32,000 worth of tools had been stolen and the trailer was worth about $6,000. The owner was able to supply the officer with a list of missing items. The officer saw on a neighbor’s security camera a truck pulling away with the trailer attached about 10:39 p.m. on May 18. The trailer was found in St Cloud. More security camera video was discovered from that location. This theft is under investigation.
