Edina Police Believe Serial Burglar Tied to Several Area Break-ins

Edina police are urging area residents to be on the lookout for a man believed to have stolen more than $100,000 in jewelry from several homes in the city's northwest corner.

Police said the homes—two in Kelsey Terrace and one on Annaway Drive—were broken into during the day likely using a crowbar, with the suspect cutting phone lines on two of the residences. During the most recent burglary, which took place Tuesday, May 10, a female homeowner surprised the suspect in her front hall and scared him away.

The burglar appears to have been looking solely for jewelry, police said, bypassing other valuables in the process. 

The suspect is described as a white male in his 40s, with dark hair and a receding hairline. He has been observed driving two separate vehicles during the burglaries—a red pickup truck with a black topper and a brown sedan.

Det. Dave Carlson said it's not typical to see so many burglaries during daylight hours. He suspects the person responsible for these burglaries is a repeat offender, considering phone lines were cut in two of the incidents.

"It's more common with older burglaries to see cut phone lines, as not a lot of them used to have cellular backups," Carlson said. "Before we had cell phones they'd cut phone lines and that'd disable an alarm system, but with cellular backups it doesn't accomplish much."

Carlson said the suspect likes to ring the doorbell at a residence to see if anyone is home before attempting to force his way in, reporting one of the burglaries actually happened several hours after he initially cut the phone line.

"We got the alarm and went there to see nothing had been stolen, then he came back two hours later and broke in," Carlson said.

Police believe the same man responsible for the Edina burglaries could be tied to similar incidents in Minnetonka, Plymouth and Minneapolis.

Minnetonka Police Captain Scott Boerboom said between six and eight cases over the last 45 days appear to have similarities to the Edina burglaries. 

"It could be the same thief," Boerboom said.

Burglaries tend to be cyclical, Carlson said, as people who have been in prison often get out and begin criminal activity almost immediately.

"Burglaries stop, they get out of prison and get back to it, we put them back in prison and the cycle begins anew," he said.

Carlson encourages Edina residents to keep an eye on their neighborhoods and report any suspicious vehicles or activity directly to police by calling 952-826-1600.

Patch Editor Katelynn Metz contributed to this report.