03 14 14 JTF1
The latest from the Mendota Heights Police Department
SUPPORT STAFF
Kim Henning
Trista Miller
Lisa Brandt
Becky Pentel
POLICE OFFICERS
Jerry Murphy
Scott Patrick
John Larrive
Bobby Lambert
Tanner Spicer
Todd Rosse
Jeff Vonfeldt
Steven Meyer
Denise Urmann
Michael Shepard
Peyton Fleming
SCHOOL RESOURCE
OFFICER
Jennifer Fordham
INVESTIGATIONS
Mario Reyes
Chad Willson
SERGEANTS
Neil Garlock
Brian Convery
Eric Petersen
RESERVES
Randy Pentel
Jim Knox
Jeff Parker
George Castillo
CHAPLAINS
Frances Cuenca
Joel Detlefsen
Lynn Liberman
Butch Millett
Sue Plucker
John Snider
David Wick
Lenny Andrie
CHIEF
Mike Aschenbrener
MARCH 7, 2014
Spring Break Safety—Fraud
Submitted By: Police Ofϐicer Denise Urmann
Lisa joins the MHPD team with 8 years of experience working
part‐time at Bloomington PD in their Records department. She
grew up in Burnsville and now lives with her husband Eric in
West St Paul, and they are the proud parents of two children,
Erika and Isabel. Lisa has training experience from her ϐive year
tenure at Thrivent Financial and brings to MHPD great records
experience that will be beneϐicial to us. In her free time, Lisa
enjoys running, cross‐country skiing, spending time with friends
and family at their cabin, and she loves the MN State Fair!
Welcome, Lisa! We are glad you are here!
PT Police Support Specialist
College is a very stressful Ɵme in a person’s life and relieve their stress by going on a spring
break trip. However, these college students may be burned by something other than the
sun when they are defrauded by non‐reputable travel companies. Some common types of
travel fraud include companies who ad extra fees, don’t provide the promised accommoda‐
Ɵons, and selling non‐existent, fraudulent packages. Here are some key ways to prevent
travel fraud, lower travel and financial stress and increase safety:
Booking Your Trip
Book your trip through a company you are were referred to or familiar with.
Get a contract in wriƟng that matches your verbal agreement.
Always read the fine print.: If it seems to good to be true it probably is.
Make sure the dates you want to travel are the dates the Ɵckets are issued for.
Only use a credit card for payment; if services you contracted for are not provided, you
may not be liable for the charge on your card.
Watch out for vouchers, steer clear of voucher or cerƟficate requirements.
Travel, Tours and Entertainment:
Don’t become a vicƟm! Be cauƟous and vigilant of who and what you trust.
Always keep your luggage with you and in sight.
Never leave your passport, ID or money in an unsafe place.
Never walk alone or get into a vehicle with someone you do not know.
Keep any beverages with you and in your site at all Ɵmes.
Keep your head clear in order to make safe and wise decisions. Alcohol concentraƟons
vary from country to country and may significantly impair your judgment.
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Crisis Call Friday 1548 hours
Officers were summoned to respond to a local motel in response to a suicidal male who wanted transport to
the ER. Upon accessing the room, they found him crying and pleading for help, saying he was in pain. The
man, recently released from the hospital, was now very intoxicated. He was transported to the hospital; offic-
ers cleared.
Property Damage Accident Saturday 1149 hours
Officer John Larrive responded to a two car crash where one lost motorist did not stop at the stop sign and
was struck by a vehicle entering the intersection. The poor driver was now not only lost, but missing a vehi-
cle, as it had to be towed from the scene. The driver’s exchanged information and officers cleared.
Theft Saturday 1310 hours
A resident reported that her UPS packages had been stolen from her doorstep after she left her residence for
a while. Officer Lambert arrived to take a report and learned she had reported the missing packages to UPS.
They are working on her case, as are our investigators. Case pending.
Theft Saturday 1357 hours
Victim put a check in the mail to pay for a bill, and reported the check was stolen and soon passed at a Wal-
Mart in a north metro suburb. Since the check was passed there, Officer John Larrive advised the victim to
report that crime to the jurisdiction where it occurred. However, that department advised the complainant
they would not pursue such a report, so our investigator is working on it on behalf of the victim.
Found Poodle Saturday 1721 hours
Reporting party found a small, brown, curly-haired dog near Ivy Falls and did take it to a vet to see if it had a
chip; it did not. Officer Shepard arrived to take custody of the pup; no tags or identifying information was
on it and it was taken to Four Paws for shelter. Closed.
Hit & Run Sunday 1337 hours
Officer Lambert responded to a report of a hit and run accident where the vehicle sustained moderate dam-
age to the side of her car and was having trouble opening it. The caller, now at home, reported a dark col-
ored van had backed out of a driveway in front of her and crossed over into the opposite lane; meanwhile,
she was unable to stop and collided. The vehicle attempted to move forward and then sideswiped her vehicle,
but the offending female driver continued on her way. The victim reported it appeared the female was flee-
ing. Case forwarded to investigations for review of suspect information.
Suspicious Person Sunday 1403 hours
Reporting party lost their phone; upon calling the phone, the answering party stated she had found it and
demanded money for its return. Case is being handled civilly through the provider for the time being; infor-
mation only at this time.
Driving with Drugs Sunday 2318 hours
A routine plate check by Officer Peyton Fleming showed the RO as revoked. Upon stopping the driver, the
smell of marijuana wafted out of the car and soon marijuana and drug paraphernalia were found. Citations
were issued and the driver was released.
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Driving with Drugs II Monday 0044 hours
Officer Peyton Fleming then watched a vehicle weaving over the center line. Upon stopping the driver and
RO, the marijuana was in plain view, along with drug paraphernalia. Citations were issued and the driver
was released.
Attempted Theft Sunday 0915 hours
Officer Lambert took a report from a man whose vehicle was broken into while parked in a lot near a trail-
head. It appeared his things were rifled through, but nothing reported stolen yet. Nothing further; inactive.
Fraud Monday 1449 hours
Victim reported to Officer John Larrive that his bank account had many unauthorized payments made from
it. Many of the payments were made to someone else’s Xcel Energy bill. A report was required by Xcel and
investigations is on the case.
Accident Tuesday 0947 hours
Officer John Larrive wrote a report for a two vehicle with property damage upon backing out of a driveway.
It’s a good thing these piles of snow are melting to help out visibility! Information exchanged, cleared.
Jewelry Theft Tuesday 0953 hours
Homeowner reported many pieces of jewelry missing from the home and provided possible suspects to Ser-
geant Neil Garlock. Under Investigation.
Accident/No Insurance Tuesday 1709 hours
Officer Fleming and Officer Tanner Spicer responded to an accident where a vehicle failed to yield while ex-
iting a parking lot. One driver was transported to the hospital, and was also issued a citation for No MN DL,
No Insurance and failure to yield. Both vehicles were towed. Officers cleared.
Theft of gas Tuesday 2000 hours
Employee reported a theft of gas, to Officer Fleming, but had limited information outside of a driver of a
Cadillac or Deville. Nothing further to go on, inactive.
Recovered Stolen Property/Warrants Wednesday 0022 hours
Officer Spicer checked on a vehicle entering a frequent-flyer hotspot and hit on a stolen vehicle, reported the
day before. Officer Fleming, Officer Denise Urmann, and nearby Eagan officers responded to assist in the
removal of three occupants. One had needles in his possession, while another had credit cards in his pocket
that did not belong to him. All were found to have warrants and the stolen vehicle was confirmed out of
White Bear Township. One of the parties had just been released from jail. As for the actual crime of who
stole the car, fingers were pointing and denials of course were at the ready. Formal charges are being pre-
pared for one party for Possession of Stolen Property and the other two will be cited for tampering with Mo-
tor Vehicle.
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Please send us your
positive feedback
on our staff to:
pdrecords@
mendota-heights.com
Your feedback is greatly
appreciated and helps boost
the morale of our staff.
Have a Safe Week!
If you are a Mendota Heights resident and you are going out of town or on
vacation, you can notify MHPD of your outing and we will be more than happy to
keep a watchful eye on your home while you are away. Make your House Check
Request online at www.mendota‐heights.com, visit us in the MHPD lobby to
complete a form or call us and we will take your info over the phone.
MHPD offers monthly Car Seat Safety Checks. To schedule an appointment,
call 651.452.1366 to contact Ofϐicer Jennifer Fordham.
MHPD has a Medication Disposal Box in the lobby of the PD where Dakota
County residents can safely and anonymously dispose of their prescription drugs
and over‐the‐counter medication.
3/6—3/13 2014 YTD
Calls for Service 151 1620
Citations 30 423
Warnings 16 154
Police Reports 23 173
Response Time Average 5.02 5.77