Felony charges filed against four suspects in several recent Eden Prairie incidents

Several defendants have been charged with felony offenses related to crimes committed in Eden Prairie over the past two months.

Burglary suspect charged

A 43-year-old Faribault, Minn. man has been charged in the Dec. 5 burglary of Freewheel Bike, 12910 Plaza Drive in Eden Prairie.

Kevin Donald Morrow was also charged with possession of burglary tools. Both charges are felonies.

Eden Prairie Police were dispatched at 6:58 a.m. Dec. 5 in response to an alarm. According to the police report, arriving police saw a damaged garage door at the rear of the business. Officers followed footprints in the snow around the building where they found Morrow using a grinding tool trying to open a storage shed.

Officers arrested Morrow and found several cutting tools nearby. Damage to the garage door was estimated at $1,200.

While investigating the incident, police discovered that Morrow was wearing a monitoring bracelet while he had been on probation from a previous burglary case. The bracelet had been disabled on Dec. 3.

Morrow was in custody as of Dec. 29 on $5,000 bail. If convicted, he faces a sentence of up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

Four counts for fleeing, ramming police car

Issac Wayne Scott, 28, of Minneapolis, was charged with four felony counts stemming from a Dec. 23 incident in which Scott is accused of 2^nd degree assault with a dangerous weapon, 5^th degree possession of a controlled substance, fleeing police, and receiving stolen property.

Eden Prairie Police responded to a call on the 12300 block of Travois Road about a suspicious vehicle. Police found Scott in the car and determined that it was stolen. Scott initially exited the vehicle, but got back in and drove away with police in pursuit.

According to the police report, Scott drove the Dodge Caravan between two squad cars and through a nearby yard before being cornered in a cul-de-sac. As an officer began to exit his squad, Scott rammed the police vehicle, disabling it, and drove off a second time.

Scott eventually spun out on an on-ramp from Pioneer Trail to Highway 169 and was arrested. While being placed under arrest, Scott told officers he had swallowed drugs. Officers also found what appeared to be more drugs in the car.

Scott is being held on $60,000 bail. If convicted he faces a maximum of three to seven years in jail on each count and/or fines.

Scheels theft

Tanika Darlene Taylor, 29, of Brooklyn Center was charged with the Nov. 29 felony theft of a jacket valued at $1,378 from the Eden Prairie Center Scheels store.

Officers were called by the store’s loss prevention staff, who witnessed Taylor stuffing the jacket in a bag and leaving the store without paying. Eden Prairie Police located her vehicle nearby and found the suspect and the jacket inside.

Taylor was arrested and taken to the Hennepin County Jail and later released without bail.

If convicted, Taylor faces a maximum sentence of up to five years and/or a $5,000 fine.

Fleeing police

Jessica June Lopez, 43, of Minneapolis, was charged with one felony count of fleeing police following a Nov. 4 alleged shoplifting incident at the Eden Prairie Scheels store.

Police were called at 6:46 p.m. by Scheels’ loss prevention staff, reporting that a woman had shoplifted and fled. They identified the suspect’s vehicle as a silver Dodge Caravan and provided police with its license number.

Eden Prairie Police located the suspect vehicle at Flying Cloud Drive and Town Center Place and attempted to make a stop. According to the police report, Lopez drove away at normal speeds, moving in and out of traffic to evade police.

Due to heavy traffic, officers were unable to perform a PIT maneuver and called off the pursuit when Lopez entered Highway 212.

Officers returned to Scheel’s and collected photos and security footage of Lopez. The vehicle’s registered owner was contacted by police and identified Lopez as the person who had borrowed the vehicle.

Police later learned that Lopez was being housed at the Ramsey County Workhouse, where they were able to identify her.

If convicted, Lopez faces a maximum sentence of three years and one day and/or a $5,000 fine.

No updates on burglaries

Eden Prairie Police on Dec. 29 reported no new updates in a string of burglaries last fall involving minority-owned Eden Prairie businesses.

In early December, police said they had identified “a person of interest” in conjunction with law enforcement from other Twin Cities area cities where similar crimes occurred. Eden Prairie Police declined to identify those cities.

Eight break-ins were reported from Sept. 26 through Nov. 20, 2021 at six different businesses featuring international foods. No one was injured in the break-ins and no related break-ins have been reported since November 20, according to police reports.