The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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July 10, 2008

Two men accused of burglary slapped with 12 felonies each

By Dan Nienaber

MANKATO — Two men accused of participating in a vandalism and burglary spree that stretched across several counties in southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa have each been charged with 12 felonies in Blue Earth County.

Derry Todd Dettmer, 35, of Welcome, and Bobby Lee Dietz, 20, of Fairmont, are scheduled to make their first court appearance in Blue Earth County District Court on July 28. The two men and two teen boys are accused of doing thousands of dollars of damage in Blue Earth County alone during a string of January incidents.

The victims live in rural residences near Madelia, Lake Crystal, Garden City, Amboy and Vernon Center. A Ford tractor was rammed into the side of a shed near Madelia, a pickup and chain were used to rip the doors off a shed near Garden City and a semi inside was started and thousands of dollars worth of tools were stolen from various locations.

On Jan. 14, the suspects are accused of kicking in the door of a residence near Garden City. Dettmer allegedly had a handgun and yelled “police, search warrant” in case anyone was home, Dietz told investigators during an interview. No one was home, but several $2 bills, old coins, tools and other items were stolen, the criminal complaint said.

Damage also was done to several vehicles and mail boxes in Blue Earth County. Several windows were broken out of a pickup and its topper while it was parked at a residence near Madelia. One of the juveniles was allegedly attempting to steal the pickup, which had keys inside. The boy smashed the windows with flashlights he found because the battery was dead, according to the complaint.

Dettmer, Dietz and the juveniles also are accused of burglarizing and damaging property in Martin County, Faribault County, Watonwan County, Jackson County, Cottonwood County and Kossuth County in Iowa.

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