Charges filed in county burglaries case

A suspect in the burglary this month at the Esko post office was arrested Jan. 12 in Anoka County. The arrest came as a trail of evidence was located by investigators, indicating that the suspect was involved in a string of burglaries in the region.

Steven Russell Macdonald, 37, of Willow River, is alleged to have been burglarizing and shoplifting seemingly at will across several days earlier this month, according to a criminal complaint filed in Sixth District Court in Carlton.

Macdonald is being held in Carlton County Jail, charged with break-ins at both a Cromwell church and automotive garage in addition to the U.S. Postal Service office in Esko.

Macdonald faces four charges in district court, including two felony counts for second-degree burglary, felony mail theft, and misdemeanor tampering with a motor vehicle.

Macdonald's next court appearance is 10 a.m. Monday.

Macdonald began popping up on authorities' radar and private surveillance footage Jan. 8 while driving a U-Haul pickup truck with Arizona license plates.

"I don't know what his motives were or what he was looking for, or if it was something specific," said Chief Deputy Dan Danielson of the Carlton County Sheriff's Office. "I'm

not exactly sure."

Macdonald allegedly broke through locked office doors at Bethany Lutheran Church in Cromwell, the criminal complaint said, taking a credit card and the contents of cabinets and drawers.

Later that same day, Jan. 8, another disturbance was reported a few miles away. The owner of Cromwell Automotive reported vehicles on the lot had been entered and contents were missing, including paperwork, ammunition and clothing items. Surveillance footage from the business showed a white U-Haul, in addition to a suspect wearing red clothes.

Danielson was hesitant to say more, describing ongoing forensics and follow-up investigation.

"It's an open file," Danielson said. "We've got things in the pipeline, and we're working and waiting."

Macdonald has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 2004 - including numerous convictions for crimes related to check forgery, fraud, previous burglaries and mail thefts, gas drive-offs, drugs, and driving while intoxicated.

Macdonald now faces up to 10 years in prison and $20,000 fines both for breaking into the church and using tools to burglarize a building. He's faced with an additional three years in prison and $5,000 fine for theft of mail. The alleged motor vehicle prowling is punishable by another 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The Pine Knot first reported the burglaries when the newspaper covered the scene of the break-in at the Esko post office Jan. 10.

A tire iron left behind was used to pry open a door to a locked area where mail was kept, the criminal complaint said.

Numerous items of mail addressed to Thomson Township residents were found in the U-Haul truck on the day of Macdonald's arrest by the Anoka County Sheriff's Office.

Macdonald's apprehension appears to have been a matter of routine.

"Defendant was located and arrested by the Anoka County Sheriff's (Office) while driving the white single cab U-Haul pickup with Arizona plate," the complaint said.

During a later search of the truck, a Carlton County investigator located a citation, dated Jan. 10, issued by the Wisconsin State Patrol to Macdonald for operating a vehicle without a valid license. Despite slipping away from authorities in that instance, the suspect appeared on surveillance so repeatedly that it turned out to be his undoing.

On Jan. 8, the U-Haul visited a Kwik Trip on Minnesota Highway 210.

Macdonald is on surveillance video stealing $15 worth of food from the store, tucking it into his bib overalls. Authorities used a still image from footage from inside the store to identify Macdonald, who emerged as the suspect once his photo was shared among law enforcement agencies, the criminal complaint said.

When Macdonald and the white U-Haul appeared at the Esko post office, surveillance footage shows him shutting off his lights and pulling into the lot. Nine minutes later, the pickup pulled out with a bedful of boxes visible.

Some contents from the burglaries in Cromwell ended up discarded on a dead-end road - winter clothes and paperwork in the snow, the complaint said.

Some of the Esko mail was also dumped.

"A large number of boxes and letters later were located in the area of Oldenburg Point in Jay Cooke State Park," the criminal complaint said.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service continues to investigate the burglary in conjunction with the Carlton County Sheriff's Office. The St. Louis, Lake and Anoka county sheriff's offices, and the Minnesota State Patrol have also contributed to the investigation.

Anyone who suspects missing packages or mail can file an online complaint for mail theft at https://www.uspis.gov/report, or call 1-877-876-2455 to initiate a report.