The following criminal charges have been filed by the Hennepin County District Attorney in the Fourth Judicial District.
Criminal sexual conduct
Uwemedimo Wilson Udia, 40, of Brooklyn Park, is charged with one count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, and one count of domestic assault by strangulation, in an April 23 incident in Eden Prairie.
According to the police complaint:
Eden Prairie police responded to a report of a domestic assault at the Residence Inn, 7780 Flying Cloud Drive. They met the victim and her daughter and observed numerous scratches, abrasions, and bruising on the victim’s face and neck. She told officers that Udia had strangled and sexually assaulted her in the hotel room.
She told officers that Udia was upset because she was planning to file divorce papers.
She also told officers that Udia had choked her on at least two other occasions that evening. She told them that she could not breathe or talk during the choking incidents and was afraid he might kill her.
Udia was arrested and was being held on $100,000 bail. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 15 years and/or fines of up to $30,000.
Possession of firearm, fleeing police
Ernesto Jose Santiago Rivera, 22, of Eden Prairie, is charged with illegally possessing a firearm and fleeing police stemming from an April 24 incident in Eden Prairie.
According to the police report:
Eden Prairie police attempted to stop an Audi S6 traveling at 109 mph on Highway 212 near Mitchell Road in Eden Prairie. The car fled, exited the highway, and ran a red light. The officer lost sight of the vehicle and terminated the pursuit.
Multiple officers began checking the area and located the car in a private driveway. As officers approached the car, the driver, later identified as Rivera, fled on foot. Officers arrested him after he tripped and fell.
The owner of the house told police he did not own the car and that it didn’t belong in the driveway. The car was searched, and a loaded pistol was found in the glovebox.
Rivera told police he fled because he was worried about a probation violation. Rivera was convicted on Jan. 9, 2020, of a fifth-degree felony charge for a drug sale, making it illegal for him to possess a weapon.
Rivera was in custody in lieu of $100,000 bail. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years and/or a $30,000 fine if convicted.
Fraud
Bianca McCray, 27, of Minneapolis, is charged with the felony fraudulent use of a credit card in several instances in April.
According to the police complaint:
Eden Prairie police received a complaint from a vulnerable adult living in a care facility on Prairie Center Drive. Officers learned that the 88-year-old victim has dementia and resides in memory care. Wells Fargo Bank notified her family that the victim’s debit card had been used for attempted purchases and had been declined.
The family then learned that unauthorized transactions had been made on the victim’s Target RedCard at various metro Target stores between April 7 and 22 for $2,417. Target video surveillance was used to identify the suspect as McCray, who had been an employee at the care facility and had been fired on April 10.
McCray has been summoned to appear in Hennepin County District Court. If convicted, she could receive a maximum sentence of five years and/or a $10,000 fine.
Theft
Thien Hoang Nguyen, 18, of Plymouth, is charged with felony theft in a Jan. 9 incident at Scheels in Eden Prairie Center.
According to the police complaint:
Eden Prairie police responded to a reported theft in progress at Scheels. Loss prevention staff reported a male and female leaving the store without paying for merchandise and entering a vehicle.
Police located the vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. The stolen merchandise was in plain view in the vehicle’s back seat. The driver, identified as Nguyen, and a juvenile passenger were arrested after Scheels employees identified pictures of the pair.
A vehicle search found additional merchandise from Scheels valued at $3,850. Video surveillance identified the suspects leaving the store without paying for merchandise on Jan. 2.
Nguyen has been summoned to appear in Hennepin County District Court. He faces a maximum sentence of five years and/or a $10,000 fine if convicted.
Maurice Keauntae Williams, 33, of Iowa City, Iowa, and Elonda Kim Johnson, 51, of Mankato, are charged with one count of felony theft in a Nov. 16, 2021, incident at Von Maur in Eden Prairie Center.
According to the police complaint:
Eden Prairie police responded to a theft report at Von Maur. Loss prevention reported that two individuals had taken six or more purses by putting them into a covered stroller and leaving the store without paying for them. Officers were provided with photos, surveillance footage and receipts for the value of the stolen merchandise.
On Dec. 24, 2021, officers responded to another theft at Von Maur and arrested Johnson. Williams was with Johnson but was not arrested. Von Maur loss prevention told police that Williams and Johnson were the same two people who had stolen purses on Nov. 16, 2021. Officers then reviewed surveillance footage and determined that the two had stolen purses on that date. The total value of merchandise stolen was $3,196.
Summons have been issued for both Johnson and Williams to appear in Hennepin County District Court. If convicted, they could face maximum sentences of five years and/or a $10,000 fine.
Ladan Hoveida, 64, of Eden Prairie, is charged with one count of felony theft stemming from a Nov. 11, 2021, incident at Scheels in Eden Prairie Center.
According to the police complaint:
Eden Prairie police responded to Scheels on a theft report. Hoveida was observed by store staff concealing items, removing tags from merchandise, and exiting the store without paying.
Hoveida was arrested, and store staff identified items in her possession that had not been purchased. The total amount of stolen merchandise was $1,036.
A summons was issued for Hoveida to appear in Hennepin County District Court. She faces a maximum sentence of five years and/or a $10,000 fine if convicted.
Identity theft, forgery
Kaitlyn Valrae McCoy, 24, of Blaine, is charged with one count of felony theft and one count of identity theft stemming from a Feb. 2 incident in Eden Prairie.
According to the police complaint:
Eden Prairie police responded to Midwest Auto Sales, 6830 Washington Ave., to investigate a vehicle theft report.
Police learned that a male had entered the dealership and tried to test drive a vehicle but didn’t have a driver’s license. McCoy then entered the dealership and presented a state identification card in someone else’s name.
The woman left the dealership driving a 2013 Range Rover valued at $18,900 and did not return.
Dealership staff quickly realized that the identification didn’t match the woman.
The woman on the identification card was contacted and said it wasn’t her at the dealership, which was confirmed with surveillance photos.
On Feb. 3, the Range Rover keys were recovered in the pocket of Jordan Smith, a former prison inmate who had phone conversations with McCoy, whose brother Carson was also arrested in relation to the Range Rover theft.
The calls made reference to the Range Rover and the name on the fraudulent state identification card.
Kaitlyn McCoy’s mother later identified her as the person in the dealership surveillance photos.
She was not in custody, and a summons was issued. If convicted, McCoy could face a maximum sentence of 10 years and fines on the identity theft count and five years and fines for theft.
Emily Mathilda Gerst, 33, of Minneapolis, is charged with one count of identity theft and one count of check forgery stemming from a July 2021 incident in Eden Prairie.
According to the police complaint:
Eden Prairie police were dispatched to a U.S. Bank in Eden Prairie on July 26, 2021, on a report that a forged $1,115 check had been received in the drive-through lane.
Gerst, the car’s driver, told police she was cashing the check for a friend. She declined to be interviewed.
Gerst and a passenger were transported to M Health Fairview Southdale Hospital after telling officers they had swallowed methamphetamine before exiting the vehicle.
The individual that Gerst claimed she was cashing the check for denied that he had written the check. A subsequent investigation determined that four stolen checks belonging to other people, a Social Security card, and stolen Minnesota identification cards were also found in the car.
A summons had been issued for Gerst to appear in Hennepin County District Court. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years and/or a $100,000 fine for the identity theft charge and five years and/or a $10,000 fine for the check forgery charge.
Jeffrey Russell Transue, 36, of St. Paul, is charged with one count of check forgery in multiple July 2021 incidents in Eden Prairie.
Eden Prairie police received a report of fraudulent checks linked to an elderly woman’s account that were processed at the Eden Prairie Walmart. Investigators learned that money from the victim’s account had been transferred to Transue.
Police also learned that additional transactions had occurred, including one at Cub Foods in Eden Prairie for $60.57. Officers obtained surveillance photographs of a July 3, 2021, transaction to identify Transue.
Transue was convicted on June 11, 2018, on another felony check forgery charge. Transue was charged with a felony because the previous conviction occurred within five years of the previous incident.
He has been summoned to appear in Hennepin County District Court. Transue faces a maximum sentence of five years and/or a $10,000 fine if convicted.
Justin Christipher Heinz, 37, of Minneapolis, is charged with one count of felony check forgery and one count of theft by swindle stemming from an April 18 incident in Eden Prairie.
According to the police complaint:
Eden Prairie police responded to Metropolitan Ford to investigate a fraud report. The dealership reported that on April 8, Heinz came to the dealership to purchase a vehicle. Heinz left the dealership and returned with an Ameritrade Cashier’s Check for $53,723.21. Heinz was told he could pick up the vehicle when the check cleared.
BMO Harris Bank returned the check to the dealership because it could not locate the account.
Police coordinated with the dealership to have Heinz pick up the vehicle. Routine checks found that Heinz had an outstanding extraditable warrant in Wisconsin. He was arrested upon his arrival at the dealership.
Heinz was being held on $5,000 bail. Because the fraudulent amount was for more than $35,000, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years and/or a $100,000 fine if convicted.
Robbery
Usama Farhan Abdi, 24, of Bloomington, is charged with simple robbery stemming from an April 25, 2021, incident at Best Buy in Eden Prairie.
According to the police complaint:
Eden Prairie police responded to a report of a robbery at Best Buy. The female victim told officers that she had purchased a laptop computer and other merchandise and was walking to her car when a male, later identified as Abdi, ran up behind her and attempted to grab her bag. She held on to the bag and wrestled the man to the ground. The defendant ran away when other customers approached to assist, stating, “It’s not worth it.” The victim suffered minor abrasions to her finger and knees.
Store surveillance video corroborated the victim’s statement.
Police put out a Tri-County alert for assistance in identifying the defendant. Edina police responded that they had been conducting a broader retail theft investigation regarding thefts of Apple products from multiple Target stores. Eden Prairie police were able to identify Abdi using photos provided by Edina police.
An arrest warrant has been requested for Abdi, who is currently in custody for simple robbery and has three pending cases for felony theft and one for third-degree burglary in Minnesota. Abdi reportedly has warrants in other counties for failure to appear.
Domestic assault
Yahye Mohamed Mohamud, 42, of Minneapolis, is charged with one count of domestic assault by strangulation, one count of domestic assault with intention to injure, and one count of interfering with an emergency telephone call stemming from an April 29 incident at Fountain Place Apartments in Eden Prairie.
According to the police complaint:
Eden Prairie police were called to the apartment complex on a report of a domestic incident.
Police learned that the victim was seven months pregnant and had been arguing with Mohamud over the care of their three children. During the argument, the victim told Mohamud she was going to call police. Mohamud then reportedly took the victim’s phone away from her.
The victim told a maintenance worker who heard yelling and arrived at the scene of the argument that Mohamud had grabbed her by the arm and choked her until she could no longer breathe. Officers observed discoloration of the victim’s neck and a minor injury to her thumb.
Mohamud was arrested and was being held on $40,000 bail. Mohamud could face a sentence of up to three years and/or fine if convicted.
Drug possession
Todd Allen Moeller, 48, of Minneapolis, is charged with two counts of fifth-degree possession of narcotics stemming from a Dec. 24, 2021, incident in Eden Prairie.
According to the police complaint:
While investigating a shoplifting report at Scheels in Eden Prairie, officers identified Moeller as the suspect in a vehicle and approached him. Officers determined that Moeller had an active warrant and placed him under arrest. During a search of Moeller, officers found a prescription bottle containing what was later determined as methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Moeller has been summoned to appear in Hennepin County District Court. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of five years on each county and/or fine from $3,000 to $10,000 on each count.
Kionte Marcell Zarns, 27, of Mount Airy, North Carolina, is charged with one count of felony fifth-degree possession of cocaine in a Nov. 28, 2020, incident in Eden Prairie.
According to the police complaint:
Eden Prairie police stopped a vehicle near Anderson Lakes Parkway for expired registration. The officer smelled a strong odor of burned marijuana coming from inside the vehicle and observed a burned-up cigar with a green substance on the end.
The driver admitted that there was marijuana in the car. Zarns was a passenger in the car and was observed pushing a plastic bag between the seat and center console. The officer recovered the bag, which was later confirmed to contain .65 grams of cocaine.
Zarns is not in custody and was issued a summons to appear in Hennepin County District Court. If convicted, Zarns faces a maximum sentence of five years and/or a fine of up to $10,000.
Fleeing police, DWI
Nicole Marie Ganuza, 34, of Eden Prairie, is charged with one count of fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, one count of driving while intoxicated, and one count of careless driving stemming from an April 16 incident in Eden Prairie.
According to the police complaint:
Eden Prairie police officers on patrol observed a vehicle traveling north on Prairie Center Drive with no rear lights. The vehicle then crossed over a lane divider and back, and an officer initiated a traffic stop.
The vehicle did not stop, despite activated lights and sirens. After making several turns, the vehicle accelerated away from the officers, drove over a curb, left the road and struck a road sign. The vehicle then accelerated through the intersection of Valley View and Baker roads. Officers used a PIT (pursuit intervention technique) maneuver to stop the vehicle.
Ganuza was identified as the car’s driver, and she was arrested. She refused to perform any field sobriety tests. After speaking to an attorney, she agreed to submit to a breath test. The test recorded a .31 blood alcohol level. Ganuza has had two previous DWI convictions in the past 10 years.
Ganuza was in custody in lieu of $25,000 bail. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of three years and/or a $5,000 fine for the fleeing charge, a year for the DWI count, and 90 days for careless driving.
Rene David Figueroa de Leon, 20, of Minneapolis, is charged with one count of fleeing police and one count of driving while intoxicated stemming from a May 13 incident in Eden Prairie.
According to the police complaint:
Following an early morning traffic stop for going 80 in a 60 mph zone on Highway 212, Figueroa de Leon failed a field sobriety test before breaking free of Eden Prairie police officers, jumping into his vehicle and fleeing south on Dell Road before re-entering eastbound Highway 212. Figueroa de Leon then exited onto eastbound I-494. As he attempted to merge onto Highway 169, an officer executed a PIT maneuver. The vehicle spun out but continued to drive straight into the officer’s squad car head-on, and then Figueroa de Leon fled on foot.
Officers found multiple packages of marijuana and cookies that field tested for THC (not CBD).
Figueroa de Leon was in custody in lieu of $25,000 bail. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of three years and/or a $5,000 fine for the fleeing charge and 90 days or a fine of up to $1,000 on the DWI charge.
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