Felony complaints filed in 14 separate incidents

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office has filed felony criminal complaints in recent weeks against 14 people charged in separate Eden Prairie incidents. Charges include child neglect, illegal weapon possession, theft, fleeing police, and violating a no-contact order.

Child neglect

Emilia Johnson Ramirez, 28, of Eden Prairie, is charged with child neglect and causing physical and emotional harm to a child following a daycare provider’s report of unexplained bruises on a child stemming from a Dec. 2021 incident in Eden Prairie.

According to the complaint:

Child protection workers met with Ramirez on Dec. 2, 2021, where they located three children, including a 2-year-old, a 6-year-old and a third child whose age was not disclosed. Conditions in the home were unsafe for children. The fire department had been to the house earlier in 2021 and noted similar unsafe conditions.

On Dec. 9, the children were taken to the Center for Safe and Healthy Children. One of the children told doctors there that his mother smacks him, squeezes his neck so that he couldn’t breathe, and hit him in the genitals.

The 6-year-old told doctors that his mother disciplined him with a metal stick and that he had witnessed corporal punishment of his two siblings. Both children had dental neglect. The 2-year-old was not interviewed but had severe diaper rash, which appeared to be resolving.

Ramirez admitted to allowing the house to deteriorate and not taking her children to the doctor or dentist. She admitted lying about how one of the children received facial injuries but declined knowing more.

Based on information in the complaint, Hennepin County has opened a child protection case.

Ramirez has been summoned to appear in Hennepin County District Court. She has been charged with two gross misdemeanor counts: one for child neglect, the other for contributing to the need for child protection.

Fleeing police

Jordan Ray Wissbroecker, 19, of St. Paul, is charged with fleeing police in a motor vehicle, a felony, in a March 22 incident in Eden Prairie.

According to the complaint:

Wissbroecker was clocked by an Eden Prairie police officer driving 92 mph in a 60 mph zone on Interstate 494 just before midnight on March 22. An officer followed the car and activated lights and sirens. The car crossed several lanes of traffic and exited the highway. The car ran a red light and continued to flee at high speed while running a second red light and entering Highway 212 briefly before entering I-494 eastbound. The car abruptly exited on Washington Avenue, where it went off of the road and became stuck in the mud.

Officers arrested Wissbroecker, who was in possession of a suspected controlled substance. Officers determined that the car was stolen.

Wissbroecker is being held in lieu of $20,000 bail. If found guilty, he could face up to three years in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.

***

Tyrus John Clinton, 30, of Bloomington, is charged with fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle following an incident in Eden Prairie on July 22, 2021.

According to the complaint:

On a routine patrol, an Eden Prairie police officer spotted a seat belt violation on Flying Cloud Drive. The officer ran the vehicle’s registration and learned that the vehicle was registered to Clinton and that he had an active warrant out of Dakota County. The officer activated his squad’s emergency lights to conduct a traffic stop.

Instead of stopping, the vehicle turned right on Glenn Lane and entered a parking lot. After making several loops through the parking lot, the officer activated the squad’s siren, and the vehicle failed to stop.

Before entering a construction area, Clinton drove through several parking lots, exited the vehicle, and fled on foot. Officers located him and positively identified him as the driver of the car.

Police later learned that Clinton has pending cases in Hennepin County, one for burglary and another for drug possession. Clinton failed to appear at his Nov. 11, 2021, court appearance, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

***

Paul John Belmares, 37, of South St. Paul, is charged with fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle following an April 4 incident in Eden Prairie.

According to the complaint:

An Eden Prairie police officer on routine patrol on eastbound Highway 212 approaching Prairie Center Drive ran a registration check on a vehicle and discovered that it was reported stolen in St. Paul. When the officer attempted to stop the vehicle, it fled at high speed onto Highway 62.

The vehicle eventually became stuck after attempting to cross a median, and officers arrested Belmares.

Belmares is in custody in lieu of $20,000 bail. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of three years and/or a $5,000 fine.

***

Isaiah Aidan Murphy, 21, of Shakopee, is charged with fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle following a March 22 incident in Eden Prairie.

According to the complaint:

Eden Prairie Police received a license plate reader (LPR) hit for a stolen vehicle in the area of Regional Center Road and Prairie Center Drive. Officers located the Subaru Crosstrek near Target, 8225 Flying Cloud Drive. Officers attempted to place a tire deflation device under the tires but were unable to because the suspect returned to the vehicle.

Officers attempted to stop the vehicle as it left the parking lot, but the vehicle evaded officers. Officers pursued the vehicle with lights and sirens for about a mile before terminating the chase due to road conditions.

Officers reviewed Target’s surveillance video to identify the suspect. They later learned that Minnetonka Police had received the same LPR hit and had stopped the vehicle and detained the occupants.

Murphy was identified as the driver of the vehicle. Officers confirmed he was the same person in the surveillance video. 

Murphy was held in lieu of $20,000 bail. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine.

Theft

Damien Matias Rivera, 29, of Rochester, Minn., is charged with felony theft following a March 22 incident at Scheels, 8301 Flying Cloud Drive.

According to the complaint:

Police responded to a reported theft at Scheels. An employee gave police a car description and told them that the person driving the car had left the store with merchandise valued at more than $2,400 without paying for the items.

The employee also reported that the same person had attempted the same thing the previous day but abandoned the property before leaving the store.

Officers viewed photos of the vehicle and license plate and determined that the plate had been altered. Officers were able to decipher the correct license plate number. One hour later, officers located Rivera and the vehicle in the Eden Prairie Comfort Inn parking lot. He was wearing the same jeans and shoes worn during the theft. When asked about the Scheels’ merchandise, he told them he had sold it to someone.

Officers arrested Rivera, at which time he admitted that the stolen items were in the trunk of his car. Officers found the stolen items and other clothing items worn during the theft. They also found tape on the car’s license plate used to alter its identity.

Rivera was being held in lieu of $5,000 bail. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

***

Holly Lee Hall, 53, of Minneapolis, is charged with one count of felony theft after a Dec. 6, 2021 incident at the Menards store, 12600 Plaza Drive.

According to the complaint:

A Menards loss prevention officer reported a theft that occurred on Dec. 6 to Eden Prairie police. Police viewed surveillance footage of a male and female entering Menards empty-handed. The female suspect put a tool combo kit valued at $669 into a cart and walked past all points of sale without attempting to pay for the item. The male suspect made a small purchase with a credit card. The two then left the area in an SUV.

An investigator identified the male suspect through identifying information from the credit card purchase. The investigator then identified Hall by comparing known photographs of Hall to the surveillance footage.

Police later learned that Hall had been convicted of a gross misdemeanor theft on June 13, 2018, which enhanced the Menards theft to a felony.

Police issued Hall a summons to appear in court on the charge. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of five years and/or a $10,000 fine.

***

Kathaleen Buckner, 42, of Minneapolis, is charged with one count of felony theft stemming from a March 18 incident at Von Maur, 400 Prairie Center Drive.

According to the complaint:

Eden Prairie officers were dispatched to a theft in progress at Von Maur. Two female suspects had reportedly stolen purses.

Officers approached one of the suspects, identified as Buckner. She told police she came to Von Maur with her niece to steal purses. She had passed all points of sale with the purses. Buckner had seven purses in her possession valued at $2,385.

Buckner was issued a summons to appear in court. If convicted, she faces a maximum of five years and/or a $10,000 fine.

***

Janesha Lanay Turner, 32, of Minneapolis, is charged with felony theft following a Jan. 4 incident at Target, 8225 Flying Cloud Drive.

According to the complaint:

Eden Prairie police responded to a theft report at Target just after 7 p.m. on Jan. 4. Officers located the suspect. During a search, police found a small amount of cocaine in Turner’s wallet.

Officers spoke with a Target asset protection employee who told them that Turner had been a repeat shoplifter at the store. In this incident, Turner placed merchandise into a cart and pushed it out of the store without paying for items valued at $844.

The Target employee told officers that Turner had stolen merchandise from the Eden Prairie Target totaling $1,668 from September 2021 to January 2022.

Turner was issued a summons to appear in court. If convicted, she faces a maximum sentence of five years and/or a $10,000 fine.

Receiving stolen property

David Michael Cline, 52, of St. Paul, is charged with receiving stolen property following a March 23 Eden Prairie incident.

According to the complaint:

Officers went to Walmart, 12195 Singletree Lane, after being alerted to a stolen license plate on a vehicle found in the parking lot. They located the unoccupied GMC Sonoma with a stolen license plate attached.

Officers reviewed Walmart’s surveillance video and observed a female driver exit the vehicle and enter the store. Surveillance video showed her interacting with a male in the store. The male was subsequently identified as Cline.

Cline was observed on surveillance exiting a Dodge Ram 1500 and entering the store. Cline then left the store, drove the Dodge Ram to a different spot in the parking lot, and re-entered Walmart. Officers determined that the vehicle was reported as stolen.

After his arrest, officers found a key on Cline that unlocked and started the Dodge Ram.

Cline was being held in lieu of $5,000 bail. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years and/or a $10,000 fine.

***

Devin Dujuan Williams, 27, of Minneapolis, is charged with one count of receiving stolen property and one count of 5th-degree possession of Oxycodone without a prescription in a March 23 incident in Eden Prairie.

According to the complaint:

Eden Prairie police were dispatched at 6 p.m. March 23 to Cub Foods, 8015 Den Road, in response to a license plate reader hit on a vehicle stolen during a hijacking in Minneapolis. Police arrested Williams for receiving stolen property. While being booked into jail, two blue pills fell out of his left sock. They were identified as 30 milligrams of Oxycodone Hydrochloride. Williams did not have a valid prescription at the time of his arrest.

Upon further investigation, officers learned that during the Minneapolis hijacking, the victim was forced to transfer money to a Venmo account belonging to Williams.

Williams is being held in lieu of $5,000 bail. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

Felon in possession of a firearm

Chou Vang, 38, of St. Paul, is charged with one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of receiving stolen property stemming from an April 13 in Eden Prairie.

According to the complaint:

An Eden Prairie homeowner on Woodridge Drive reported a male wearing a bright yellow vest looking under his vehicle and who had left in a white van on Pioneer Trail. An Eden Prairie police officer in the area observed a white Econoline van on Pioneer Trail turning left onto Flying Cloud Drive. The officer located the van as it turned into the lower Richard T. Anderson Conservation Area. The officer initiated a traffic stop when the vehicle failed to signal the turn.

A female was driving the vehicle; an adult male, later identified as Wang, wearing a reflective yellow vest, was in the passenger seat.

A dispatcher informed the officer that the license plate did not match the van, which came back as stolen in St. Paul. The officer arrested both occupants and told them that they were being charged with possession of stolen property. The officer found a black bag near the passenger seat that contained a Glock 43X handgun as well as 1.3 grams of methamphetamine.

After he was informed of his rights, Wang admitted he tried to steal a catalytic converter from a vehicle at the reporting address but abandoned the attempt. He also admitted having stolen the van a few days prior. The stolen license plates were from his sister’s vehicle.

Wang also acknowledged that he was a felon and not allowed to possess a firearm. He said his girlfriend, who was driving the van, was unaware that the van had been stolen.

Wang is in custody in lieu of $100,000 bail. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 15 years and/or a $30,000 fine.

Burglary and theft

Robert Theodore Dixon, 30, of Plymouth, is charged with one count of third-degree burglary and one count of felony theft stemming from an Aug. 28, 2021, incident at Eden Prairie Medical Center, 800 Prairie Center Drive.

According to the complaint:

Officers were dispatched to the medical center and spoke to the business manager, who told them she had arrived at 7 a.m. Aug. 30 and discovered the break-in. The front door appeared to have been forced open. An employee told officers that his collection of Pokémon cards kept on a shelf in a glass frame was missing.

Two other suites in the medical center also were burglarized. Reported stolen were a Bose speaker valued at $217, $2,400 in cash and three business credit cards.

Surveillance footage showed a lone suspect, a Black male, entering the building at about 9 p.m. on Aug. 28. Footage showed the same man leaving the building with a bag at 10:30 p.m.

An investigator searched pawn databases and learned that three rare Pokémon cards and a Bose speaker had been pawned at a Robbinsdale pawnshop by Dixon on Aug. 29. Surveillance footage from the pawnshop showed Dixon pawning the items.

The investigator also learned that Maple Grove police had stopped Dixon on Aug. 29, and officers found a pawn receipt for the Pokémon cards. Several other Pokémon cards were found in the vehicle.

Police also learned through a search warrant for call records that a device belonging to Dixon was in the area of 800 Prairie Center Drive on Aug. 28, 2021, between 9:50 and 10:58 p.m.

Dixon was being held at the Hennepin County Jail on unrelated charges. If convicted, Dixon faces maximum sentences of five years and/or a $10,000 fine on both charges.

Violating no-contact order

Devron Demond Jones, 39, of St. Paul, is charged with violating a no-contact order within 10 years of a previous domestic violence-related offense.

According to the complaint:

On April 2, Eden Prairie police were dispatched to a Chestnut Drive residence on a no-contact order violation report. Police learned of a court order issued and served on Dec. 27, 2021, ordering Jones to have no contact with the victim.

Jones was observed at the residence backing a vehicle out of the garage. Officers stopped the vehicle and arrested Jones. Police learned that Jones has four related convictions dating from June 2017 to April 2019.

Jones was in custody in lieu of $30,000 bail. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years and/or a $10,000 fine.