South metro police blotter

MARCH 16

Burglary. A homeowner in the 4900 block of 142nd Street reported leaving home with the doors unlocked between 3 and 5:30 p.m. When he returned, a laptop computer and cash had been stolen.

MARCH 17

Animal bite. A food store called to report that a customer had been bitten by a muskrat on the sidewalk outside the store. A community service officer responded and was able to get a noose around the muskrat and place it in a cage. The victim, who had been picking up cigarette butts off the sidewalk when the bite occurred, had left to get treatment at a hospital. The officer took the caged muskrat to the University of Minnesota to have it tested for rabies, but was informed that a wildlife service would have to euthanize it first. The officer had the animal euthanized, then returned it to the U for testing. The officer followed up with the emergency room at the hospital, but it would not provide the officer with the patient's name because she already had left, and hospital workers said federal law prevented them from releasing that information.

BURNSVILLE

MARCH 23

Traffic. A 20-year-old Burnsville man was stopped for a traffic violation near Hwy. 13 and Nicollet Avenue. He was arrested for driving after suspension of his license, having a prohibited windshield, possession of more than 1.4 grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, and having no proof of insurance and expired registration.

Burglary. Officers responding to a neighbor's call about a suspicious person in the 3800 block of Conroy Trail arrested a 42-year-old Inver Grove Heights man for first-degree possession of a dangerous weapon. He also faces charges for first-degree assault and criminal sexual conduct in the second-degree with the use of a weapon.

MARCH 18

Domestic case. An officer responded to a report of a verbal dispute in the parking lot of a business on the 200 block of Triangle Lane. A 16-year-old female and her 18-year-old boyfriend were arguing, and the officer spoke with the female, who said the argument was strictly verbal and that no physical assault occurred.

MARCH 21

Traffic. When an officer stopped a vehicle for a seat-belt violation on the 200 block of Triangle Lane, he smelled a strong odor of marijuana. A search turned up a switchblade knife, marijuana and a marijuana pipe inside the vehicle, police said. The adult male driver was issued a citation for a dangerous weapon violation, possession of a small amount of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

MARCH 26

Intoxicated man. While on patrol, an officer came upon a man pushing a wheelchair down the middle of the road late at night. The officer stopped the man and discovered he was extremely intoxicated. He called in the man's identification and learned he had a warrant out for his arrest. In speaking to the man, he also learned that his car had stalled and that he had started walking for help. The officer assumed the man needed the wheelchair to help him keep his balance. The man was arrested; the vehicle was impounded.

Tim Labatt • 612-288-8319