Oakdale Police Blotter: Reports of Mail Tampering, Theft Detailed

Police received numerous reports of mail tampering and theft over the Thanksgiving weekend, prompting a warning to residents. The reports continued into the next week.

Here are those reports, and others made to the Oakdale Police Department on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1:

Nov. 30:

• Someone from , in the 2500 block of Helena Avenue, reported on Nov. 26 someone opened their mailbox and left mail on the ground next to the mailbox. Additional mailboxes to the north were also opened.
• A resident in the 3700 block of Goodwin Avenue reported open mailboxes in the neighborhood. She didn’t know of any theft.
• A resident in the 3600 block of Gresham Avenue reported on Nov. 29 that he placed outgoing mail in a street side mailbox with the flag raised around 4 p.m. Just after midnight he noticed that an envelope containing two checks was missing from the mailbox. He closed the checking accounts, and there was no loss reported. The missing mail was later recovered at .
• A resident in the 4000 block of Granada Avenue reported that overnight between Nov. 29 and 30 someone opened her mailbox and numerous others in the neighborhood.
• Police recovered a stack of mail from 29 residences in Oakdale and Lake Elmo at Minnehaha Manor.
• A resident in the 3500 block of Garden Boulevard reported finding her mailbox open in the morning. Nothing had been stolen from the mailbox.
• A complainant at reported at 1:15 p.m. that three protesters and a big, inflatable rat were on the property. The protestors were within 15 feet of the street, which is city property.
• A $150 iPod was reported stolen from .
• A resident in the 4000 block of Granada Avenue reported that he mailed a notice at 4 p.m. Nov. 29, and saw it was missing before the mailman came the next day.
• While pulling into the south entrance at the Holiday station at Highway 5 and Hadley Avenue, a semitrailer turned too sharply and hit a light pole in the parking lot, tipping the pole on its side.

Dec. 1:

• A resident in the 600 block of Greenway Avenue reported that his neighbor has chickens on his property. The neighbor confirmed that he had two chickens in his garage, but said they’d be used by Dec. 5. Officers explained how to obtain a permit to keep the chickens.
• A day planner and two pairs of leather gloves with a total value of $190 were stolen from an unlocked car parked in a driveway in the 2700 block of Henslow Avenue.
• A representative from Mills Fleet Farm reported that protesters’ blow-up rat extended 21 feet onto their property and that they were trespassing. Police advised the complainant that the rat did not extend beyond the 15-foot easement and that they had permission from the City of Oakdale to be there.
• A resident in the 4300 block of Grafton Avenue reported seeing someone drive up to their mailbox on Nov. 26. They received no mail that day, which was out of the ordinary.
• A resident in the 6500 block of Upper 35th Street found his mailbox open. No theft was reported.
• A driver for FedEx reported that when he declined to move boxes he had delivered to warehouse space north of the shop, as requested by the owner of , the owner put his hand on the driver’s chest and insisted he move the boxes. The driver declined and called the police. Nothing criminal was found.
• About $1,000 worth of power tools were stolen from a garage in the 700 block of Gershwin Avenue. The garage might have been left open, the complainant said. A reciprocating saw, orbital sander, air-nailer and parts for a router saw were stolen.
• A 24-year-old Oakdale man reported that he was punched in the face and head by a man who came to his apartment in the 7500 block of 15th Street Lane with two friends. The man had visible bruising to his face and a large abrasion on his chin. The complainant and his roommate had no further information on the man or the friends he came with.

The above items are taken from the . In all incidents where an arrest occurred, a charge is merely an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. The arrested person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Incidents are listed in the order in which they were reported, not necessarily the order in which they occurred.