by Joni Astrup
Associate Editor
A boy was inside a vehicle in Elk River when a male opened the door and stole a purse.
A woman reported that her vehicle was parked in front of Dawn of Discovery Childcare, 19280 Evans St., at the time of the theft. The vehicle was running and her 8-year-old son was inside it. An unidentified male, wearing a sweatshirt with a hood over his face, opened the back rear passenger door, then closed the door and opened the front passenger door and grabbed the victim’s purse, according to Elk River Police Capt. Joe Gacke.
The suspect was seen getting into a black SUV with dark window tint and driving away.
The victim’s son ran into the day care to tell his mother what had happened. Staff members also witnessed the incident.
The theft was reported to police at 7:05 a.m. April 14. Gacke said it’s under investigation.
Assault, stabbing reported on highway
A nurse at HCMC reported April 17 that a patient had reported being sexually assaulted and stabbed on Highway 169 in Elk River. Hennepin County responded to the hospital to speak with the female. The female confirmed to the deputy that she was assaulted in Elk River, according to the police report.
Gacke said April 17 that the incident is in the very early stages of investigation and no further information is available at this time.
Downed pole, power line on Elk Lake Road
A pole and power line blocking lanes of travel in the 20400 block of Elk Lake Road in Elk River caused problems for some motorists on April 16. No one was injured.
At 12:04 p.m., police were called to the area, where a vehicle had hit the downed power line that was in the middle of the road. The vehicle had minor damage to the windshield. The driver was a 64-year-old Zimmerman woman.
While police were directing traffic at the scene, dispatch advised that two other callers wanted to report damage to their vehicles after hitting the downed line. In one case, there was moderate damage to the vehicle’s windshield, hood and left corner panel. The driver was a 35-year-old Zimmerman woman. In the other case, the vehicle had minor damage to the windshield. The driver was a 49-year-old Princeton woman.
Teen hits vehicle stopped for turkeys
A teenager was cited for texting after she rear-ended a vehicle that had stopped for a flock of turkeys in Elk River.
A 27-year-old Ramsey man was traveling west on 193rd Avenue in the 10600 block when the turkeys came out onto the road in front of him. He stopped to avoid hitting them. The vehicle behind him was driven by a 16-year-old Elk River girl. She said she looked down and when she looked up the other vehicle had stopped in front of her. She could not stop in time and hit it. When the officer asked her what she was looking down at, she said she was looking at a text message on her phone, according to the police report.
The crash was reported at 10:55 a.m. April 13.
Stolen purses are found in dumpster
Two purses that were stolen from vehicles in Elk River have been recovered in a dumpster.
In one case, a man reported April 13 that a vehicle window was broken and his wife’s purse was stolen in the 20100 block of Elk Lake Road. Tracking the wife’s phone showed it to be located near Advance Auto Parts, 18260 Zane St., Elk River. Her purse as well as another purse were found in a nearby dumpster, according to the police report. The victim’s credit and debit cards were used at businesses.
The other purse theft was also reported April 13, this one in the 19000 block of Proctor Road. Someone had smashed the middle driver’s side door of a minivan and taken the purse.
Wallet stolen after it was left on table
A wallet was taken from McDonald’s in Elk River after it was mistakenly left on a table. The wallet contained a debit card, cash and gift cards.
The debit card was attempted to be used with Cash App, but was declined due to deactivating the card, according to the police report.
The theft was reported to police on April 16.
Firearm had altered serial number on it
A traffic stop in Elk River has turned up a firearm with an altered serial number.
An officer had observed a vehicle traveling east on Highway 10 with no taillights illuminated and traveling at what appeared to be above the 30 mph speed limit at around 2:30 a.m. April 15.
The officer initiated a traffic stop. The officer “detected the strong odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle and observed possible signs of impairment from the driver,” according to the police report. The officer conducted standardized field sobriety tests and arrested the 35-year-old St. Paul man for DWI. The firearm was located under the driver’s seat of the vehicle.
After arrest, police find suspicious rolled-up $1 bill
Elk River Police arrested a 34-year-old Rochester man on April 12 for being in violation of an order for protection. When police brought him to jail, a rolled up $1 bill was located, tucked inside his wallet. Inside the bill was a crystal white substance that was later determined to be methamphetamine, according to the police report.
Three teens brought back to pay for items
Police were called to Speedway, 200 Main St., Elk River, at 6:18 p.m. April 14 after three males came into the business and left without paying for merchandise. Officers checked the area and located the three males, two 18-year-olds from Elk River and Rogers and one 19-year-old from Elk River. They were taken back to the business and paid for the merchandise.
The 18-year-old Elk River man had a warrant for his arrest.
Trailer stolen
A trailer was reported stolen from the 600 block of Railroad Drive in Elk River. The theft was reported to police on April 14 and happened sometime in the last week and a half.
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