Rochester Man With Dozens of Past Theft Offenses Faces New Charge

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Rochester man with dozens of theft-related convictions has been charged with felony vehicle theft.

Court records show that 52-year-old Garrick Robert Sneed is accused of participating in the theft of a vehicle from outside a northwest Rochester hotel on the night of October 12 last year. The criminal complaint says the victim told police her vehicle was parked outside the hotel and that she had not been able to get it to run for a while because the battery was dead.

Caught on Video

The court document says Rochester police reviewed surveillance video of the theft and identified Sneed as one of three people who broke into the vehicle. The criminal complaint says the video shows Sneed forcing open the driver-side window before he and the two other suspects jump-started it, and one of them drove the vehicle out of the parking lot.

$400 purchase?

Several weeks later, a Rochester police detective spoke with Sneed, who claimed he had permission to take the vehicle. He explained that he had purchased it from a man named Jim for $400. The victim told police she did not give anyone permission to take the vehicle.

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Extensive Criminal History

The criminal complaint says Sneed’s criminal record lists approximately 28 convictions for theft or receiving stolen property between 1992 and 2024. His most recent conviction was in 2024, when he received a 23-month prison sentence after entering into a plea agreement involving four vehicle theft cases in Olmsted County in 2022.