Car thief parks stolen car in a barn owned by two retired officers. That worked out really well.
Car thief parks stolen car in a barn owned by two retired officers. That worked out really well.
Posted by: Chris Elliot Law Enforcement Today
That certainly seems to be the case in terms of a Minnesota man who ended up going to jail after he allegedly parked a stolen car in the barn of two retired police officers.
According to police, the suspect, identified as Alexander John Thompson, stole a 2011 Volvo C30 from Lakeville and began to drive it south to the area of Northfield in Dakota County. Once there, for some unknown reason, Thompson allegedly decided to pull into a home off of 320th Street.
Thompson allegedly went to a pole barn on the property and opened the overhead door and parked the stolen car inside. What Thompson could not have known was the house and barn that he picked belonged to two retired police officers who just so happened to be leaving their home and saw him park the car.
The homeowners – the wife, who is retired from the Prior Lake Police Department, and the husband, a former Army combat veteran and retired New Mexico police officer – approached Thomas to figure out what he was doing.
Thompson allegedly asked her if she could provide him a ride and she refused. Her husband began asking what Thompson was doing there and why he had parked the car inside of his barn. As the husband was asking questions, the wife went into her house and retrieved a set of handcuffs.
When the wife returned, both retired officers handcuffed Thompson and notified the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office of the situation. When deputies arrived on the scene, they began questioning Thompson who allegedly provided the owner’s name of the stolen vehicle.
Thompson allegedly informed the deputy that he had parked the car in the pole barn because it was starting to break down. Dakota County Sheriff’s Office Captain Jeff Leopold said that the deputy was unsure what to believe because of Thompson’s continued lies. He said:
“We don’t know if that was true, because his story kept changing.”
The deputy had the vehicle towed out of the officer’s barn, and in the process learned that the vehicle was stolen. Captain Leopold commented on Thomas’ arrest, saying:
“He could have chosen any house [to hide the car]. So, this was very bad luck [for him]. But good luck for us.”
Deputies placed Thompson under arrest on January 30th for suspicion of burglary, giving a false name to a peace officer, auto theft, and driving after his license was cancelled. Thompson remained in custody in the Dakota County Jail until he appeared in front of Judge David Lutz who set his bond at $5,000 without conditions, but only $3,000 with conditions.
Thompson’s criminal history dates to 2017 and shows he has been arrested numerous felony convictions for theft and drug arrests. Additionally, he had an outstanding arrest warrant out of Wright County for failing to show up to a court hearing regarding an unrelated felony theft case at the time of his arrest.
In addition to the new charges and warrant for his arrest, Thompson also has an unrelated auto theft charge in Dakota County for allegedly stealing a 2011 Ford Edge from the Walmart in Hastings on January 27th. Thompson’s next court date is set for March 16th.