HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016 01-07 Man used credit cards stolen from woman in Maplewood home invasion PIONEER PRESS 1/7/2016 Man used credit cards stolen from woman in Maplewood home invasion,charge says-TwinCities.com
M la n u S,e d 1C,r e d•
• • •
in Maplewood home invasion, charae says
ZIP
By Elizabeth Mohr
emohr@pioneerpress.com
POSTED: 01/06/2016 12:01:00 AM CST I UPDATED: ABOUT 13 HOURS AGO
A man is charged with using a credit card stolen in a Maplewood home invasion this
week during which an elderly woman was choked to unconsciousness.
Deandre Vershaun WimS, 25, of St. Paul was charged with one count of felony credit card
fraud in connection with the victim's stolen card. :
Police said that the incident remains under investigation and that more arrests are likely.
/
"It's a hold charge," Maplewood Police Chief Paul Schnell said of Wims' case. "The /rr `
question is why not the robbery charge, and the reason is because we have a lot of Dean dire Verslhnawn
evidence to process ... We are confident we will (get that) but we have a tremendous Whims,25,of Worth
amount of processing to do first." t. IPaul,was
arrested Tuesday,
According o a criminal complaint, a ear-old woman was preparing to leave her Jan. 5'2016 lhy
g P 9 75°Y P P g Maplewood Ipclliice
home in the Carefree Cottages retirement community Saturday afternoon, when a woman on be probable
knocked on her door and asked to use the phone. When the older woman refused, the cause charge of
fnnanciiall card fraud.
young woman at the door produced a handgun and forced the victim into her home. The Ilnvesfi aLors Ibelliiew
female suspect made a phone call, and two men appeared a short time later. VVirns was
connected tan be
Ih orne invasion
The trio ransacked the woman's home, according to the charges. robbery on Jan. z at
a senior living taciilliif
"The female suspect went into (the victim's) purse and took her Minnesota driver's in Maplewood in
license, Social Security card, and credit cards," the complaint said. "(The victim) said the which a '75-year-old
vdreinmarn was
suspects forced her into the bedroom and demanded that she tell them where she had threatened nnrilh a
jewelry. guin and IlaLeir
clhn c Ike d
unconscious.i IPlhn ctc
dv� i u u eiq u��iq t One of the males took her watch from �a�,
her wrist and then used a shirt or cloth IRairnsey CounN
to tie her hands behind her back. One Sheriffs Office.
of the suspects had her lie on the floor
in a prone position between her bed and dresser."
One of the men then wrapped a cloth around the victim's
neck and choked her until she passed out. When she
regained consciousness, the intruders were gone, the
complaint said.
r The incident came on the heels of a Dec. 29 burglary
1/7/2016 Man used credit cards stolen from woman in Maplewood home invasion,charge says-TwinCities.com
report from another resident of the retirement
community, which opened in 1993 and sees mostly 911
calls for medical assistance.
In the other burglary, an 85-year-old woman reported
that her home had been broken into while she was out of
town. The thieves took credit cards and jewelry.
Investigators tracked purchases and attempted
purchases on the two women's stolen cards and
compared surveillance images, which showed the same
two men using the cards at several stores in Maplewood
and North St. Paul.
The surveillance images were published by local media this week, prompting a tip to police that one of the
men was Wims, who frequented a North St. Paul gas station, the complaint said.
North St. Paul police confirmed that Wims was in the surveillance images, the charges said.
Wims was arrested just before 2 a.m. Tuesday in North St. Paul. He was a passenger in a silver Pontiac
Bonneville, which was towed to the Maplewood Police Department to be searched.
A passport belonging to the Dec. 29 burglary victim was found in the car, "among other relevant items," the
charges said.
Schnell said a gun was found in the car, though it's not yet known if it was the gun used in the home
invasion.
Four people were in the car -- two women and two men -- including Wims, Schnell said. "The others, at that
point, we didn't have a basis to hold anybody else, so they were all released at the scene," the chief said.
Police were still looking for two other perpetrators. Although investigators have not confirmed that Wims
was involved in the home-invasion robbery or the earlier burglary, "we suspect his involvement" in both,
Schnell said.
Wims declined to be interviewed by investigators.
But in recorded jailhouse phone calls, he talked about the investigation, the charges said.
"The defendant asked if the images looked like him," the complaint said. "The female (he was talking to)
said, '(Expletive), that is you.' "
In another call, Wims said, "That's all they got me for is the fraud," according to the complaint.
Police offered descriptions of the other two suspects being sought:
-- A black woman in her 20s, 5 feet 2 to 5 feet 8, and 120 to 140 pounds, with a thin build, wearing "colorful
tight pants," a jacket and winter hat.
-- A black man in his 20s, 5 feet 6 to 6 feet tall, heavy-set, with short hair and wearing all dark clothing and
r
no hat.
1/7/2016 Man used credit cards stolen from woman in Maplewood home invasion,charge says-TwinCities.com
Schnell said police "have some ideas, a pretty strong sense of who else may be involved, and we have folks
out there actively looking for them."
Tips have been pouring in since the surveillance images were initially released, Schnell said.
"I think people are incredibly outraged because of the level of violence inflicted on this 75-year-old lady,"
Schnell said. "And that's what people have even said, 'I'm calling because this is over the top.' People have
been that clear. They just can't believe someone would do this."
Anyone with information about the suspects should call the police tip line at 651-767-o640.
Wims' first court appearance is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
Elizabeth Mohr can be reached at 651-228-5162. Follow her at twitter.co /Liz or.
hftp://www.twincities.com/crime/ci-29352559/ 3/3