Police follow snack trail to nab suspects

A trail of Cheetos led St. Paul cops to three teens.

By TIM HARLOW, Star Tribune

Last update: August 7, 2008 - 2:18 PM

Police didn't have a hard time finding three teenage burglary suspects who allegedly broke into a St. Paul recreation center last week. All they had to do was follow a trail of Cheetos.

A witness told police that she saw Michael Bady, 18, Jesse Fairly, 19, and a 17-year-old boy drop a bag of chips as they ran from the Arlington Recreation Center to a nearby residence around 1 a.m. on July 29.

Police checked the rec center and found that glass on a vending machine had been smashed. The machine's contents were missing, according to a criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County District Court.

Fairly and Bady were charged with third-degree burglary.

The third teen, a 17-year-old boy, also was arrested.

Police "followed a trail of Cheetos" that led to the suspects. The witness positively identified Bady, Fairly and the third teen.

Police found 19 vending machine-size bags of Cheetos and two bags of Sun Chips in their possession, the complaint said.

If convicted, Fairly and Bady convicted face up to 5 years in jail, a $10,000 fine, or both.