If you have a tip concerning a crime, call the Sartell Police Department at 320-251-8186 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.
Oct. 24
6:21 p.m. Fraud. Roberts Road. The victim informed officers she recently posted a couch for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Someone messaged them about the couch and asked if they use the “Zelle” app to pay for the item. The victim downloaded the app, and the suspect informed the victim the app would only let them send a minimum of $500. The suspect then claimed the victim could repay them their change via Venmo. After sending the money, the victim had concerns they were involved in a scam and called their bank to cancel the transaction. The victim later received emails from Venmo that their account has been suspended. Officers determined many of the emails the victim received were part of the scam. At this point the victim has not lost any money.
Oct. 25
5:35 p.m. Traffic stop. Pinecone Road. Officers were on routine patrol, when they saw a vehicle that had expired tabs from 2022. The officer stopped the vehicle and spoke to the driver who knew the tabs were expired and that they’ve had trouble getting new tabs for the vehicle. The driver was given a citation for the violation.
Oct. 26
2:49 p.m. Theft. Beetle Boulevard. Officers were dispatched to the new apartment building under construction. The complainant stated an unknown person(s) came into one of the garages and took the garage door opener, wires, wall bracket and remote opener from the units. The complainant said all the doors were locked and it’s unknown how someone got into their building. The cost of the garage unit is about $500.
Oct. 27
10:09 p.m. Trespassing. 21 CR 120. Officers responded to a nearby business to assist with a trespasser. Store staff stated a woman who was already escorted from the store had returned. Officers were able to identify the woman via security footage and compared that to her driver’s license photo. The woman was issued a citation for trespassing and told to not return to the property for one year.
Oct. 28
4:20 p.m. Vandalism. Pinecone Road. Officers were dispatched to a parking lot on a report of vandalism to a vehicle. The complainant stated they had walked into the store and when they returned noticed a large scratch on the driver’s door and the driver’s side front fender. The complainant said they were not sure if another vehicle hit their car, it was hit by a shopping cart or if someone keyed it. Officers spoke with store management about getting security video of the scene to better identify how or what caused the accident.
Oct. 29
10:47 p.m. Traffic stop. Riverside Avenue S. While on patrol, officers observed a vehicle with blue registration stickers driving past them. The officer ran the plate and learned the vehicle’s registration expired in June. The Officer spoke with the driver who was aware of the expired registration. During the traffic stop, the officer also learned the driver did not have any insurance on the vehicle. The driver was cited for no proof of insurance and advised they could no longer drive the vehicle without insurance.
Oct. 30
1:41 p.m. Suspicious activity. Fifth Avenue N./Second Street N. Officers were dispatched for a suspicious activity complaint. The complainant stated during the last week, her parent’s grave had some items left on it. The items included two sobriety coins, a sweatshirt, flowerpot and some garbage. The complainant checked with the family, and no one had left anything.
Oct. 31
12:58 p.m. Traffic stop. First Street NE/Fifth Avenue E. Officers were on routine patrol, when they observed a vehicle traveling faster than the posted speed limit. The officer activated their lights and stopped the vehicle. The driver was advised they were going 57 mph in a 40-mph zone. The driver was cited for speeding.
Nov. 1
4:39 p.m. Fraud. 10th Avenue N. Officers were dispatched to a fraud complaint. The victim stated they were contacted by their bank regarding multiple fraudulent charges on their debit card. The victim confirmed with the bank they did not authorize any of the charges, totaling over $700. The victim told police the bank did not provide much information other than the locations where the charges occurred, date and amount. The victim was advised to work with their bank to change their account information to ensure everything would be secure moving forward.
Nov. 2
2 p.m. Property damage. 19th Street S. Officers were dispatched to the Sartell Community Center for a property-damage complaint. The complainant stated several strands of Christmas lights had been cut on several of the Christmas tree frames that are set up for the Country Lights Festival. Roughly 70 of the tree frames had light strands that were cut, amounting to about $1,500 in damage. It’s unknown at this time who cut all the strands of lights.
Nov. 3
7:16 a.m. Accident. Pinecone Road. Officers responded to a crash involving a school bus. The driver of the bus told officers they were traveling north and entered the roundabout, when they were struck from the side by another vehicle that was entering the roundabout from the east. Neither the driver nor the kids on the bus were hurt, however the bus did sustain a flat tire. Another school bus arrived to transport the students to school.
Nov. 4
2:32 p.m. Suspicious person. First Avenue NE. Officers were on patrol when they noticed a man walking with a fishing pole on private property. The officer spoke with the man and advised him he was trespassing and there were signs posted. The officer recommended the man fish on the other side of the river, which was not on private property.
Nov. 5
13:37 p.m. Traffic stop. Highway 15/CR 1. While on patrol, officers observed a vehicle stalled on the shoulder of the roadway. The officer spoke with the driver to make sure everything was OK. The driver stated they were fine and were making sure their tools were not sliding around. The officer returned to their squad and ran the vehicles plates and learned the driver had a revoked driver status. The officer caught up with the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. The driver stated they knew their driving status was revoked. The driver was issued a citation for driving after revocation.
Nov. 6
3:37 p.m. Fight. 23rd Avenue N. Officers were dispatched for a fight between two roommates. Officers learned one of the roommates had been living at the residence on a temporary basis and was asked to leave after not paying rent for the last six months. The verbal argument then turned physical as a fight broke out resulting in one of the roommates getting punched in the mouth. Both parties said they wanted nothing criminally done and decided to go their separate ways. The unwanted roommate returned the key to the homeowner, grabbed their belongings and left.
Nov. 7
10:26 p.m. Traffic Stop. County Road 120 / Pinecone Road. Officers were on routine patrol, when they observed a male on a bicycle without a rear light or reflector. The officer stopped the man and informed him of needed a rear light on his bicycle. Officers tried to ID the man, who provided a false name. Officers were able to ID the man through a driver’s license photo and learned he had a felony warrant. The man was place in handcuffs and searched. During the search, officers found a bag of methamphetamine in his pocket. He was taken to Stearns County jail for the warrant and cited for providing a false name to police and drug possession.
Nov. 8
2:07 p.m. Scam. 7 Avenue S. Officers were dispatched for a scam. The caller stated they responded to an ad on Facebook marketplace about a shed for sale. The seller asked for a deposit, but the complainant wanted to see the item in person first. The man arrived and the homeowner stated they did not post the ad and that he was the second person to show up to look at it. The complainant wanted our department to be aware of the scam. The ad on Facebook marketplace has since been removed.
Nov. 9
7:40 a.m. Crash. 1 Street NE / 14 Avenue E. Officers responded to a three-vehicle crash. One of the drivers stated the sun was in his eyes so they pulled down the visor, causing papers to fall in front of his face. He stated he was trying to look under the visor and rear ended another vehicle that was stopped at the light. A third vehicle was also hit following the chain reaction crash. Two of the vehicles had to be towed from the scene.
Nov. 10
4:30 p.m. Illegal Burn. Lawrence Circle. Officers were called to the address as someone was burning leaves in a fire pit. Upon arrival, officers could see a man putting leaves into the active fire. Officers spoke with the man and reminded him of the city ordinance regarding burning. The man covered the fire and said he would stop.
Nov. 11
9:08 p.m. Noise. 6 Avenue N. Officers received a loud music complaint. The caller reported this was an ongoing issue with their neighbor. Officers arrived and could hear music coming from the home from the curb. Officer attempted to contact the homeowner but were unsuccessful. After waiting outside for a several minutes, the music stopped.
Nov. 12
3:56 p.m. Welfare Check. Pinecone Road S. While on patrol, officers were waved down by a woman in a nearby parking lot. The woman stated there was a car parked and running with two small children inside. As the officer approached the vehicle the owner of the vehicle arrived. She stated she had gone inside the store to grab a few items and left her kids in the car as they were sleeping. The woman told the officer she usually didn’t do that and probably wouldn’t do this again.
Nov. 13
12:04 p.m. Civil Matter. Sunset Avenue. Officers responded to an argument regarding a snowblower. The complainant stated they had borrowed their snowblower last winter and never got it back. Officers spoke with the second party, who stated the machine broke and they were getting it fixed. The man said when he went to pick up the snowblower he was informed the owner had already picked it up. The owner stated they never picked it up and wanted it back or to be compensated for the loss. Officers learned the party who fixed the machine never returned it because it was not paid for. All parties agree to have a calm conversation to help resolve the issue.
