About 30 to 40 burglaries have been reported between Benton and Wilkin County since 2008, according to Leslie Patterson, detective for Benton County. Although she acknowledgesvarious delinquents use the same method of operation, evidence seems to link several of them together.
"We're just trying to figure out who's involved," she said. At least two people are suspected to be behind the heists, which has most recently hit Big Stone, Traverse and Melrose counties. Several reports of burglaries also occurred in Otter Tail and Meeker last summer.
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County records indicate burglars stole $200 in startup cash in Wheaton and an angle grinder in Hoffman. Two additional burglaries occurred in Wheaton within days of the golf course burglaries - a June 15 bust at a convenience store that ended with $125 in stolen cash and a June 20 episode at the American Legion that led to the arrest of three suspects last week.
Video surveillance of the convenience store revealed a vehicle repeatedly circling the area at 4 a.m. A store employee walked into the building while the burglar was still there, said Michael Johannsen, chief of police at Traverse County.
"He snuck out the back door while she was doing her morning duties," Johannsen said. "(She) never even knew he was in there."
In Graceville, thieves broke into a convenience store on May 27 at 3:30 a.m. by cutting through a side door of the building. The only individual shown on surveillance attempted to pry open an ATM machine without success and stole a small sum of money, said John Haukos, Big Stone County sheriff.
While evidence is not yet strong enough to connect the store incidents, they certainly have disturbed these otherwise quiet communities. Johannsen thinks the burglaries extend to the tristate area.
"I met with Big Stone County officials a week or so ago, and they were even talking about burglaries in Grant County, South Dakota," he said. Johannsen, who met with Wilkin County officials on Thursday, said the last time he'd witnessedsuch a rash of reports was back in the 1980s.
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