Homeless Man Accused of Stealing $3k Worth of Tools from Rochester Popeyes Construction Site

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A homeless man is facing a felony charge tied to an alleged burglary and theft at a Rochester construction site. 

See Also: Homeless Man Accused of Starting Dumpster Fire at Rochester Business

The criminal complaint, filed in Olmsted County Court on Thursday, says Rochester police responded to a the theft report on Wednesday.

Officers found and arrested the suspect after getting a tip from a local pawn shop. 

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$3k Worth of Tools Stolen from Popeye's Construction Site, Rochester Police Find & Arrest Suspect

The alleged theft occurred at a work site located at 823 Apache Ln. SW, which will be the future home of a Popeyes restaurant. 

Read More: Popeyes is Coming to Rochester This Fall 

Officers were provided with what the court document describes as a detailed list of items that were apparently taken from an unlocked building at the site. 

The list included six M18 Milwaukee batteries, two larger Milwaukee batteries, two Milwaukee double chargers and a single Milwaukee charger, a Milwaukee M18 radio, a DeWalt router, a Milwaukee sawzall, a Milwaukee work light, and a Milwaukee drill. 

Suspect Seen on Video

Footage from the nearby ACME Tools store shows the suspect arriving at the work site on a bike with a trailer shortly after midnight on Wednesday. He departed roughly four minutes after arriving, the complaint says. 

Police then went to Pawn America and asked staff to contact law enforcement if someone came in to pawn construction tools. 

On Wednesday afternoon, the store’s staff reported seeing an individual pushing a wheel chair full of tools along South Broadway Ave. Officers found the individual and identified him as 37-year-old Keith Eugene Anderson, the complaint says. 

Missing Tools Found

Anderson told police the tools belonged to a person he did not know and were given to him, the court document says. 

The tools officers found with Anderson matched the tools that were reported stolen from the construction site, according to the complaint. 

Anderson is charged with receiving stolen property. He was released without bail following his first court appearance Thursday and is due back in court later this month.