Posted: 12/4/02

Arrest made in Bonkers robbery

An arrest has been made in connection with the Oct. 11 robbery at Bonkers in Forest Lake and the man in custody may face charges in seven other cities.

Olan Gerard McGruder, 37, of 38725 12th Ave., North Branch, is in the Anoka County Jail following his arrest last month on a probation violation.

On Nov. 22, he was charged in Washington County District Court with one felony count of simple (strong armed) robbery in connection with the Bonkers incident, police in Forest Lake said this week.

In the Oct. 11 robbery, a man entered Bonkers, 408 S. Lake St. at 12:51 and proceeded to buy a candy bar. When the store clerk opened the cash register, the man grabbed the till.

Police said when the clerk attempted to stop the robbery attempt, the man said: ìIs it really worth it?î

When the subject left the store he had taken $250 in cash from the till.

The investigation into McGruderís alleged involvement intensified when city police in Forest Lake teamed with officers in North Branch where a similar crime had been committed by a man matching McGruderís description. A man seen by a witness leaving the vicinity of Bonkers on Oct. 11 also linked McGruder to the case, police said.

An accomplice is likely involved in the case, but Forest Lake police said no charges have been filed, but the investigation continues.

The felony charge against McGruder was filed last month after the Bonkers clerk identified McGruder from a police photo lineup, police said.

Police in Forest Lake said additional charges against the North Branch man could form in a number of other cities where similar robbery cases were reported this fall.

Police said McGruder is under investigation for like crimes in North Branch, Cambridge, St. Cloud, Crystal, Robbinsdale, Coon Rapids, White Bear Lake and Minneapolis.

He is being held in the Anoka County Jail on a felony charge stemming from McGruderís alleged involvement in a case investigated by the Centennial Lakes Police Department.

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