Local News
Wrong person charged in theft
Police dropped charges of woman who had alibi
MANKATO — Police say it was a case of mistaken identity that resulted in a felony burglary charge being wrongly filed against a 27-year-old North Mankato woman Thursday.
The charges were dismissed almost as quickly as they were filed after the woman’s name was reported on a Mankato radio station.
Callers told police the woman could not have been responsible for the Oct. 15 burglary at the MTU Onsite Energy facility on Lundin Boulevard.
A surveillance video showed a man, a woman and a child pull up to the warehouse in a car at about 11:45 p.m. on Oct. 15.
The following day employees at the facility gave investigators the names of a couple they suspected were on the video.
As a result, investigators searched 19-year-old Benjamin William Wetzel’s residence on Madison Avenue between Mankato and Eagle Lake. They reported finding about $3,800 worth of copper wire that had been taken from the warehouse.
Wetzel, who was charged with burglary Monday, told investigators someone else had stolen the copper and left it in his garage.
He also told them the woman the employees had named couldn’t have been with him because she was in a treatment facility.
After further investigation, Mankato police now suspect the woman who was with Wetzel was the woman who owns the car that was in the video. Rae Lynn Moon, 29, was arrested and charged with one count of felony aiding and abetting third-degree burglary Friday.
The child who was with the couple was not identified, but investigators said he was a pre-teen boy.
- Local News
-
-
Update: Chase ends with car driving into Wal-Mart
Armed with a pellet gun, a one-legged man led police, including sheriff, on high-speed chase that ended near the frozen foods section at the Mankato Wal-Mart.
-
Flood warning for region upgraded to "moderate"
CLICK for latest Mankato weather forecast
Detailed floodwatch for New Ulm, Mankato, St. Peter, Henderson.
-
Dogs, deer affected by flooding
Dogs and deer are having a hard time with spring flooding.
-
MnDOT warns of deer moving across road
Floodwaters are forcing them to higher ground
-
Census response rates vary
When it comes to responding to census forms, some neighborhoods are better than others.
-
Mankato Schools to update phone system
A new phone system will save money for Mankato Area Public Schools.
-
Rural fiber optic installation set to go
Federal stimulus money is helping parts of southern Minnesota move into the technology age.
-
School's phone bid comes in under budget
Consortium involvement helps lower costs
-
Dogs, deer affected by floodwaters
Mankato expected to crest near 2001 high of 26 feet
- Today's services — 3/19/10
- More Local News Headlines
-
