By Shawn Hogendorf, Correspondent 

After allegedly stealing a mobile police scanner from Radio Shack, a 38-year-old Bemidji man didn’t have to look any further than his rearview mirror to figure out what police were up to Nov. 24.

Lewis Edward Barney was charged with fleeing a police officer, theft and driving after revocation by the Scott County Attorney’s Office after leading police on a chase that ended in his arrest in Eden Prairie.

At about 8:27 p.m. on Nov. 24, police were called to Radio Shack, 14150 S. Hwy. 13, for a report of a shoplifting theft in progress.Lewis Edward Barney

After receiving the report, an officer saw two men in a truck who matched the description given to police and attempted to stop the vehicle, according to Capt. Dave Muelken.

Instead of stopping for police, Barney made an illegal U-turn on County Road 42 and proceeded north on Highway 13 while accelerating his speed to 60 mph, Muelken said.

Police responded by deploying stop sticks at the intersection of McColl Drive and Highway 13.

But, Barney drove over the stop sticks, which caused him to drop his speed to 45 to 50 mph, as he continued to drive north on Highway 13 to County Road 101 and then head west over the Bloomington Ferry Bridge onto Highway 169. That’s when police saw a mobile police scanner being thrown from the vehicle, Muelken said.

Police radioed for assistance from the Eden Prairie Police Department to deploy stop sticks for a second time at the intersection of Highway 169 and Anderson Lake Parkway.

As Barney approached the second set of stop sticks in the right lane of Highway 169, Barney allegedly swerved into the left lane and then onto the left shoulder towards an Eden Prairie police officer who was on the shoulder of the road deploying the stop sticks, according to the criminal complaint.

After Barney ran over the second set of stop sticks, two Eden Prairie police officers joined the pursuit and forced the vehicle to stop using pit maneuvers, Muelken said.

After being stopped, Barney complained of chest pains and was taken to St. Francis Regional Medical Center. He was later released from the hospital and taken to the Scott County Jail.

Barney’s brother, Jermain Kal Barney, who was in the vehicle at the time of the chase, told police he was in Radio Shack and left. He told police Lewis Barney was driving when he saw them and said his brother wasn’t going to stop, according to the criminal complaint.

Jermain Kal Barney denied taking anything from Radio Shack and stated he was currently out of jail on $500 bond for a burglary charge in St. Louis County, according to the complaint.

A clerk at Radio Shack told police both of the Barney brothers came into the store; Jermain took the scanner from the shelf, put it in his sweatshirt and left the store. The police scanner is valued at $220.

Jermain Barney was charged with misdemeanor theft.

A review of state records shows that Lewis Barney has an active felony warrant out of Crow County for motor vehicle tampering; outstanding theft and parole violation warrants out of Beltrami County; and a Minnesota Department of Corrections warrant for escape and theft.

Lewis Barney has been convicted of theft five different times in five counties across the metro area since 1989. He was also convicted of first-degree burglary in October of 1996 in Hennepin County; financial card fraud in October 1997 in Hennepin County; and escape in January 2005 in Dakota County. 

 Shawn Hogendorf can be reached at shogendorf@swpub.com.