By Shawn Hogendorf, Correspondent 

A 27-year-old Burnsville man – who is suspected of committing more than 50 burglaries in Savage and Burnsville – was arrested last week after he was apprehended leaving the scene of a burglary.

Carlton Raythell O’Neal was charged with four counts of third-degree burglary by the Dakota County Attorney’s Office Thursday (July 9) in relation to burglaries that occurred on June 27 and July 3. Additional charges are expected to be filed after both investigations are completed in both cities.

Police believe O’Neal was associated with 57 burglaries that occurred between March and July within a 4-mile radius around Highway 13 at the Burnsville and Savage border. Fifty-four of those burglaries were committed after May 8. O’Neal was staying at an apartment in the 3800 block of Hamilton Street in Burnsville, which is at the center of that radius, according to charges.

The burglaries primarily involved businesses and occurred in the late night and early morning hours. In all the burglaries, forced entry was gained by breaking or prying windows and doors open to get inside.

As a result of the burglary spree, police established a multi-jurisdictional task force based on the similarities of the crimes, according to court records. Evidence collected at the burglary scenes included shoe print impressions, fingerprints, tools, gloves and articles of clothing left behind.

Trail of burglaries

Police met O’Neal on June 12 after Savage police received reports of three business burglaries near Highway 13 and Yosemite Avenue. During those burglaries, a large amount of coins were taken from vending machines and office drawers.

So, police alerted area businesses and banks to contact the department if they observed anyone with a large amount of coins.

A short time later, an employee at Associated Bank in Savage contacted police about a man in the lobby with a bag full of quarters. The bank is less than a mile away from the three reported burglary locations.

Police spoke with O’Neal at the bank who told them he was saving up his quarters and now needed the cash because he was having financial difficulties. Officers noted he had ridden his bike to the bank and seemed nervous when speaking to them and gave them an address for where he was staying. Police went to the apartment complex and management told them that O’Neal was staying there, but not in the specific apartment he told them.

Later that day, a burglary was reported at Superior Minerals, 12051 Yosemite Ave. Police reviewed video surveillance at the business and determined that the man seen in the video matched O’Neal’s description.

Another burglary was also reported at Waste Management, 12095 Yosemite Ave., on June 12. Again, police determined O’Neal matched the description of the man scene on surveillance video.

The arrest

On July 3, police responded to a call to assist police in Burnsville at about 3:19 a.m., according to Capt. Dave Muelken. While on the scene investigating the burglary at Data Sales, 4450 Burnsville Parkway, a Savage police officer heard the sound of a window breaking at a nearby business.As the officers wrapped up the investigation of the initial burglary call, they began searching the area and found evidence of a second burglary, Muelken said. At that time, another Savage police officer observed a man running from a building.

After a short foot pursuit, O’Neal was arrested and identified. Two other nearby businesses in Burnsville – Two Men and a Truck and Rigid Hitch – were also burglarized prior to O’Neal’s arrest.

When O’Neal was arrested leaving the scene, police noted he was sweating profusely and had glass fragments in his clothing. Police also found $128 in bills and nearly $6 in coins on him.Police also located a large, flat-bladed screw driver, a small flashlight, dark knit gloves, a plastic container with a green leafy substance and a cigarette butt after searching the route O’Neal used to flee from officers, according to court documents.

Two more burglaries were reported on July 3 at First Line Beverage and Granote Ornamental Irons.

Following O’Neal’s arrest, detectives with both the Savage and Burnsville police departments obtained search warrants and searched the Burnsville apartment where he was staying. A freezer full of meat police believe to be stolen from Bottoms Up Marine Repair, a black stocking cap and a white tank top torn into an apparent mask were seized.

Due to the thoroughness of the investigations and the physical evidence collected at each crime scene by the crime scene unit, the O’Neal will be linked to many of the 17 reported burglaries in Savage, Muelken said.

O’Neal is currently in custody at the Dakota County Jail on a $50,000 bail with conditions.

In an unrelated case, O’Neal is set to appear in a jury trial in Dakota County for two counts of first-degree burglary and one count of theft for a case that occurred in June of 2008. That trial starts in two weeks. He also faces a jury trial for similar offenses that allegedly occurred in August 2008.

If convicted of the most recent charges, O’Neal faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each of the third-degree burglary charges. 

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