Oakdale Police Blotter: Gas Drive-Offs Abound

Gas prices may be inching downward, but that didn’t deter four gasoline drive-offs in Oakdale over the last few days – two of them at the same Super America station.

On June 8, a man filled up a white SUV with $90.04 worth of gas at the north Holiday station in Oakdale and drove off without paying. Police checked the reported license number and found it didn’t match the vehicle description – and also found that the same plate had been used in gasoline drive-offs in Cottage Grove on June 1 and in Woodbury on May 22.

Later on June 8, two men filled up with $41.94 worth of gas at the east Super America, then drove off. Police requested surveillance video from the station to track down the culprits.

On June 9, a man pumped $30.30 worth of gas at one of Oakdale’s Holiday stations, then drove away without paying. His license number was recorded and a letter was mailed to his home; police say the same vehicle was involved in a gasoline drive-off on June 8.

And later on June 9, a woman pumped $59.40 worth of gas into her car at the east Super America and took off. Her license number was also recorded.

The following incidents were also reported to Oakdale police June 8-9:

June 8:

• Sometime between 9 p.m. June 7 and 5:30 a.m. June 8, someone entered a fenced yard in the 2500 block of Grafton Avenue and stole a Eureka three-person domed tent from the patio. The tent is valued at $300.
• A woman reported that sometime between 9 and 10:40 a.m. , someone broke out the back window of her car while it was parked at LA Fitness and stole her purse and cell phone. The thief caused $250 in damage to the car; the Coach purse, which was valued at $150, contained $200 in cash, and the phone was worth $75.
• An employee of the Animal Emergency Clinic reported that the boyfriend of a female employee had called the business six times in 90 minutes and hung up when his girlfriend didn’t answer. The caller’s name and phone number showed up on caller ID; police called and left a message, asking him to stop calling.
• A resident in the 6600 block of Gretchen Lane asked police to remove a raccoon from a live trap. The raccoon was recovered and released.
• A girl reported that three boys had pulled her into the men’s restroom at Walton Park on June 4 and touched her inappropriately. The incident is under investigation.
• Police investigated a domestic disturbance in the 6700 block of 8^th Street. A woman was arguing with her daughter, who called her mother a string of expletives. After the woman told her daughter not to talk to her mother like that, the two engaged in a “mutual pushing match.” Police said neither person suffered any visible injuries; the mother left the house to “cool down,” and the daughter went to her room and called her father, asking him to come home. Washington County social services was contacted.
• Employees of Mills Fleet Farm apprehended two shoplifters, who they said focused on the store’s fishing section. They reported that one selected fishing line and lures and handed the items to the other suspect to conceal.
• Police investigated a report of juveniles near the 4800 block of Greenwich Trail smoking marijuana. One of the juveniles turned over a lighter and a glass pipe containing dried marijuana, was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia and was turned over to his father.
• A routine license plate check in the 6800 block of 15^th Street turned up an outstanding warrant for the driver, who was arrested and booked into the Washington County Jail.
• A social worker for Washington County reported finding a dead adult female on a hallway floor in her apartment in the 4000 block of Geneva Avenue North. Police said there were no signs of trauma or criminal activity. The medical examiner collected the woman’s body, and police notified her sister.
• Neighbors complained about a “loud hot tub party” in the 500 block of Holly Avenue. When police arrived, the guests had gone inside; the homeowner told police that they all planned to stay in for the night.

June 9:

• Police responded to a report of an injured beagle running loose in Eberle Park. They caught the dog and contacted its owner, who was cited for allowing a dog to run at large and warned about the need for a dog license.
• Police assisted at a three-car accident in the 1200 block of Geneva Avenue North. One of the drivers was rear-ended by another vehicle and suffered a bump on the head.
• A 66-year-old woman complained that she was being harassed by phone calls from a company called “Pay Day,” telling her that she owed money and needed to verify some numbers. She told police that she had received between 90 and 100 calls from the company since last September. Police called a company representative identified as “Mark Brown,” told him that a scam had been reported and asked him to stop calling the woman; he agreed to stop.
• A homeowner in the 6600 block of Gretchen Lane complained of too many geese in his yard and a nearby pond, and inquired about geese abatement. Police said there are no plans in the city for geese abatement, but said they would pass on his request.
• Someone reported a pair of baby raccoons lying in the middle of the street at 47^th Street and Gershwin Avenue. Police found the animals: “The raccoons appear to be fine,” the report says. “They were just out to get warm by the sunlight.”
• A woman reported that her 10-year-old son, who always walks after school to the Washington County Library, where she picks him up, was missing. She told police that she usually picks the boy up at 4:30 p.m., but she got “stuck at work” and by the time she got there, at 6 p.m., he was gone. Police checked his home and completed a missing-person report. The boy arrived home at 7:30 p.m., telling his mother that he walked home because it had gotten so late, he thought no one was coming to pick him up. The woman admitted to police that she didn’t tell the boy she was going to be late and didn’t try to contact the library. Police contacted Washington County social services.
• Someone in the 2300 block of Holly Avenue complained that employees of Aspen Air were soliciting without a permit. One of the solicitors told police that his boss told him that it’s “unconstitutional” for a city to require solicitors to have permits. Police advised him of the permit requirement, and he left the area.
• Residents in the 1600 block of Helena Road complained of loud music playing outside. Police found a “large end-of-school party” going on in the back yard; the partygoers agreed to keep the noise down.
• Police responded to a minor car-vs.-bicycle accident at Highway 36 Boulevard and Hadley Avenue North. The bike-riding victim was hit when he went north across Highway 36 Boulevard by a driver turning onto Hadley. Both said they thought the other was going to stop. The bicyclist complained of minor pain in his left ankle, but was not transported to a hospital.