Burglary Suspect Calls Victim from New Prague Lockup

A Montgomery man faces felony charges after he allegedly broke into a Shakopee woman's home, then called her once in custody.

Patrick Montogue Schneider, 31, is charged with one count of third-degree burglary, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He also faces two additional charges for violation of an order for protection and possession of stolen property.

On the night of May 4, Shakopee police were dispatched to the 4000 block of Blakewood Drive. The caller said that the suspect, Schneider, was pounding on the door and window, actively trying to get into the house.

The victim said she'd taken her kids to the park that day around 11:30 a.m. When the family returned home that night, she noticed that her iPad mini was missing from the kitchen counter, where it had been cradled in a charger. Not long after, Schneider showed up. He tried to get in the front door, then grabbed an object and tried to break the window. The woman said she was afraid he would kill her if he'd gotten into the house.

Schneider left the scene before officers arrived, but witnesses confirmed that he had been outside the house. Neighbors said they confronted him but he just yelled obscenities and told them it was none of their business.

Police in Montgomery found the iPad in Schneider's possession later that night, during a traffic stop. The victim said she didn't know how Schneider had gotten into the house, since there was only one spare key and it was in her possession at the time. 

Schneider was taken into custody by the Montgomery PD. 

The ordeal was not quite over, however. Once inside the New Prague Police Department Schneider used the PD's phone line to call the victim in an apparent attempt to talk her out of pressing charges.

Schneider made his first appearance at the Scott County courthouse on Monday. He remains in custody at the county jail, held on a $100,000 bond ($20,000 with conditions).