Cliff Buchan
News Editor

Slowly but surely police in Forest Lake are finding resolution to a series of thefts from autos that has plagued homeowners here since last fall.

Chief of Police Clark Quiring said the arrest of a 17-year-old male at his home in Forest Lake has produced evidence that should close many open cases of thefts from auto and home burglaries.

The youth was arrested Tuesday, June 7 after police, acting on a tip, were given written permission by the homeowner to search the residence.

Tucked away in the youthís closet were 97 items stolen from cars and homes and 300 compact disks that had been stolen, the chief said.

The youth was arrested on charges of felony theft and felony first-degree burglary. He is being detained at a youth holding area at the Lino Lakes Correctional Facility, Quiring said.

The arrest comes on the heels of two earlier arrests where a pair of St. Paul men and another man from the Forest Lake area were arrested on theft charges relating to a series of theft from auto reports in the southwest area of Forest Lake.

The apprehension of the 17-year-old on June 7 is believed directly tied to a series of crimes in the new housing areas south and west of the Forest Lake Airport. The string of crimes date back to last November and December, the police chief said.

Throughout the investigation, Quiring said police suspected the crimes may be linked to someone living in the area.

That hunch is now proving correct following the arrest at a home in this area last week.

So far, the chief said, police have matched about half of the recovered stolen property to its owners. He placed value of the stolen property at near $10,000.

The stolen items ranged from radios and CD players to bottles of liquor and prescription medicines.

Quiring said police are puzzled why the stolen property was stored in a closet almost like a ìtrophy case.î

The felony theft charges are tied to an estimated 50 incidents of thefts from auto. The burglary charge is tied to the unlawful entry of occupied homes. On two occasions, homes were burglarized while the homeowners slept.

For now, Quiring said, the youth will be prosecuted as a juvenile. It will be determined by the Washington County Attorneyís Office if the youth will be certified as an adult.

School vandalism

School for the 2004-2005 year in Forest Lake ended last Thursday and it took less than a day for vandals to lash out at school property.

Quiring said Forest View Elementary School, 620 SW 4th St., was hit by spray paint late Friday night with a series of profane words left on exterior walls.

A school surveillance tape has keyed police to three possible suspects ó one juvenile male and two juvenile females ó who were seen on tape near the school grounds on the night of the vandalism.

On the same evening, four portable toilets were set on fire.

A toilet located near a ball field between Forest View and the Maroon and Gold Ice Arena was torched.

Police and Forest Lake fire were called to the high school late Friday night where three more portable toilets were set on fire. All received extensive damage.

A damage loss was not reported to police, however.

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Forest Lake Times
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880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
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