HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 01-29 Suspect in Stillwater credit card thefts has history of fraud PIONEER PRESS Sus�ect in Stillwater credit card thefts has history of fraud - TwinCities.com Page 1 of 2
Suspect in Stillwater credit card thefts has history of fraud
Updated: 01/29/2015 07:42:19 AM CST TWIIICItI@S.COCTI
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„�� ,, �����b� .�„ �� � Staff at Trinity Lutheran Church in downtown Stillwater kept
�� ,� ��� ���� � __� coming across Dawn Marie Rassett on a Tuesday morning
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° � ° ��' � A custodian even saw her cleaning coffee cups in the kitchen.
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� �� �� ��� � something pleasant every time," according to police reports. �
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��t������a��f�n����.�v�������y It turns out that Rassett, who is also known as Dawn Marie
�°""ry s�'��`ff.�°t�'cej Scott, is suspected of casing the church.
Police say Rassett went into a classroom just after 11 a.m. while another preschool teacher
and her students were eating lunch in the cafeteria. She allegedly stole two wallets from the
teacher's purse, which was in a closed cabinet, according to police reports.
Police say Rassett, who has a lengthy criminal history involving fraud and identity theft, went
right from the church to Lucky's Station convenience store in Stillwater and used the
woman's First National Bank check card to buy $168 in items, including two $50 lottery
tickets.
Rassett then drove to Walmart in Oak Park Heights and fraudulently charged $284 worth of
goods on the teacher's Discover card, including an Xbox 360, according to the police
reports.
Rassett was arrested by Stillwater police Jan. 22 and released two days later.
Investigators say the Stillwater incident is one of dozens involving Rassett, 46, of
Maplewood, who served time in jail in 2011 for fraud and identity theft.
They have aggregated 18 cases from the Ramsey County sheriff s office and the
Maplewood, North St. Paul, White Bear Lake, Stillwater and Woodbury police departments.
The incidents, which occurred between Nov. 9 and Jan. 18, involved at least 20 victims; the
collective loss is at least $12,821, said Rob Wilkinson, an investigator with the Ramsey
County sheriffs office assigned to the Minnesota Financial Crimes Task Force. Another
$2,600 in attempted transactions were turned down, he said.
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Suspect in Stillwater credit card thefts has history of fraud - TwinCities.com Page 2 of 2
Because the cases have been aggregated, Ramsey County officials were able to charge
Rassett with identity theft involving eight or more victims -- a charge that carries a greater
penalty than individual counts of transaction card fraud or check forgery, Wilkinson said.
Rassett could face 7 1/2 to 10 years in prison, given her criminal history, he said.
Two warrants have been issued for Rassett's arrest; one stems from a case investigated by
the White Bear Lake Police Department, and the other involves a case being investigated by
Wilkinson.
"I'm aware of at least four others cases in which Rassett is a suspect," he said. "I suspect
that she may have been committing these thefts on a daily basis.
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The most egregious case involved the theft of a wallet from a 84-year-old woman who was
attending a funeral luncheon in North St. Paul, Wilkinson said. "(Rassett) tended to target
places like churches, dance studios, martial arts studios, health clubs or arenas with
unsecured locker rooms," he said.
Stillwater police believe Rassett stole a wallet Dec. 4 from a boy's backpack in the locker
room at St. Croix Valley Recreation Center in Stillwater. She allegedly used a Wells Fargo
debit card from the wallet, which belonged to a Woodbury hockey player, to buy almost $600
worth of items at Target and $200 worth of items at Cub Foods in Stillwater, police say.
Rassett also tried unsuccessfully to use the debit card on three occasions at a
SuperAmerica convenience store in Oak Park Heights, police say.
"The most disturbing thing is that she was stealing from people in churches, community
centers, recreations centers," said Investigator Chris Kopel of the Stillwater Police
Department. "It's kids who are playing hockey, and it's preschool teachers at churches."
Although the victims won't be liable for the losses, "all of these offenses cause a great deal
of aggravation to their victims and result in damage to their good credit that can take
months, if not years, to repair," Wilkinson said.
Rassett is an admitted methamphetamine user and "based on some of the fraudulent lottery
ticket purchases, I suspect that she might have a gambling problem as well," Wilkinson said.
Mary Divine can be reached at 651-228-5443. Follow her at twitter.com/MaryEDivine.
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