Crime & Safety

Burglars Steal $9,000 in Electronics, Clothing From SLP Home

Couple returned home to find house trashed.

Tuesday afternoon likely started off like any other for a St. Louis Park couple living on the 1600 block of Hampshire Avenue. 

At 2 p.m. on Jan. 29, they left home to run a few errands. At 6:20 p.m., the husband and wife came home—and walked into a crime scene.

Their living room television had disappeared, and the family dog was nowhere to be found.

Find out what's happening in St. Louis Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As the couple cautiously walked through the house, they discovered the burglars had made off with more than a 54-inch flat screen TV: a second such TV was missing from the house, along with a set of four hand-painted rims from the garage, two mink coats from the master bedroom closet, and two gaming consoles and a laptop had vanished from the living room. Altogether, almost $9,000 in items had been stolen. The family dog was eventually located, shut up in the spare bedroom and cowering under a bed.

St. Louis Park police inspecting the house couldn't find any signs of forced entry, but found three sets of fresh footprints in the snow leading from a rear door to the alleyway. While conducting their search, police also found the remains of a few marijuana cigarettes in ashtrays around the house.

Find out what's happening in St. Louis Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The husband admitted he smoked marijuana recreationally, but adamantly denied the break-in could have had anything to do with drugs. Because of the burglar's precision—the coats were hidden in a closet and two other flat-screen TVs were left alone—police and the homeowners suspect the burglar has been in the house before. 

Follow us on Twitter  |  Like us on Facebook  |  Sign up for our daily newsletter


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.