Two Arrested in Eagan for Possession of Burglary Tools

Two men were arrested in Eagan this week and charged with possession of burglary or theft tools after police say they recovered a number of items “consistently” used in burglaries, including snips, wire and bolt cutters and flashlights.

Christopher Allen Holcomb, 30, of Mahtomedi and Jesse Roy Magnuson, 30, of White Bear Lake were arrested early Tuesday morning behind an Eagan strip mall after police on routine patrol spotted Holcomb about 3:30 a.m.

Each man faces a maximum penalty of three years in  prison and a $5,000 fine on the felony charge of possession of burglary or theft tools. They are also charged with receiving stolen property, a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaints, Holcomb told police he was looking for cigarette butts to smoke in the parking lot while waiting for a friend whom he identified as Jesse, who he said was shopping at .

Police found a screwdriver in Holcomb’s back pocket, along with a set of keys. Holcomb told officers that the keys weren’t his and that he was holding onto them; he said he had arrived in Eagan in a 2008 Honda Civic, which he said was in the store’s parking lot, according to the complaint.

Police couldn’t find the car, and Holcomb was “unwilling” to contact Jesse. Shortly afterward, police found the car behind the strip mall, checked its license plates and contacted its owner, who told them she had loaned the vehicle to her boyfriend, Magnuson, at about 10:30 p.m. the night before so he could go to the casino.

Another officer found Magnuson walking toward the back of the strip mall and arrested him. Officers found two pocket knives in his possession, both of them appearing to be “brand new,” according to the complaint.

Police searched the Honda and found a license plate registered to a Burnsville man, who confirmed later that the plate was stolen from his car sometime after 11 p.m. Oct. 15. Inside the car, police found “multiple tools consistently used in burglaries and thefts,” including snips, wire and bolt cutters, flashlights, screwdrivers and a Leatherman-brand knife.

The search also turned up two loose screws and one of the Honda’s license plates, which police discovered missing from the front of the car.

Magnuson, whose driver’s license has been revoked, told police that he had driven the car that evening and that all the tools were his, because he works as a contractor, according to the complaint. He said he drove his girlfriend’s car to Walmart to buy a few things and parked behind the strip mall to fix the license plate because he thought it would “look suspicious” to fix it in the store’s parking lot. He denied knowing anything about the stolen license plate.

Holcomb declined to talk to police.

Both men remained in the Dakota County Jail Thursday, Magnuson on a $14,000 bond and Holcomb on a $12,000 bond. Magnuson has an extensive criminal history in Minnesota, including four convictions for theft and one for receiving stolen property.

An omnibus hearing for Holcomb is scheduled Nov. 14, and for Magnuson on Jan. 3.