Blotter: Police Can't Nab Suspected Prowler

The following incidents occurred between March 12 and March 18, and were included in the St. Louis Park Police Department's most recent weekly report, sent out on March 23. Specific details come from individual incident reports maintained by the department.

March 12- Police were called to the 5600 block of Minnetonka Boulevard on a report of a suspected prowler at an apartment. As officers drove up, they saw a man wearing a black stocking cap and black jacket near a corner of the building. Police parked and ran up to the building, but the man was gone. Officers ran back to the squad car as they heard a vehicle leaving the area, but they were not able to make out the plates. No suspects have been identified.

March 16- The city reported that an unknown suspect or suspects had entered the building sometime between March 9 and March 16. Officers found no signs of forced entry. Inside, they found pop cans strewn around the men’s bathroom and found a marijuana pipe on the ground. Officers also discovered damage to a light fixture, and noticed that the suspect or suspects had sprayed a fire extinguisher throughout the space. The damage was estimated at $250.

March 17- Police reported to the 3300 block of Brownlow Avenue on a report of a stolen vehicle. The owner, a 38-year-old male, said he had parked his 2010 Acura TSX outside the night before and discovered it gone in the morning. The man said the car was locked and he was the only one with keys, though he said a spare key might have been in the glove box. There were no signs of forced entry. The car was located four days later by Blaine police and returned to the owner. No suspects have been identified.

March 17- Officers arrested a man for allegedly stealing items from a St. Louis Park construction site. Robert Joel Vans, 51, was subsequently charged with gross misdemeanor theft and is in custody. Police reportedly spotted Vans and three others in a white van at around midnight in the 6600 block of Excelsior Boulevard, where a large street and sewer project is underway. Officers noticed the van’s cargo door open, so they went to investigate. The van then began to drive away, and police pulled it over a short time later. Officers discovered Vans has a revoked license, so they had the van towed. Inside, they found three manhole covers—worth at least $500 each—as well as several pieces of rebar, and a few pipes and wire coils. Vans claimed he found the items in the trash.

March 18- A city employee called police to report damage to a building at . An unknown suspect or suspects apparently struck the side of the building with a bat or similar object, then peeled back some of the siding. The employee said he didn’t know of anyone who would do this. The damage was estimated at roughly $1,000.

Be sure to check with St. Louis Park Patch for daily reports from the St. Louis Park Police Department.