Cigarette DNA, a Squatter in St. Michael, and a Man on the Run in Maple Grove: West Metro Crime

The following is a collection of articles that recently appeared on Patch sites in Edina, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Lake Minnetonka,  Maple Grove, Plymouth, Richfield, Shakopee,  and St. Michael. Click on the headline to read the full story.

DNA from a cigarette butt left behind during a Hopkins car break-in led Hopkins Police to a man in jail on other charges.

Wright County Deputies have arrested a man who they have accused of “squatting” in the former liquor store location, which has been mostly vacated since a fire last March. He’s also charged with burglary.

A Plymouth man has been charged with burglarizing a Plymouth business and breaking into a vending machine last week after an employee found him covered in blood in the company’s conference room.

The Maple Grove Police Department released a sketch of a man who allegedly near Rice Lake on Thursday.

The suspect of the incident was described as a white male, approximately 5 feet, 6 inches to 6 feet tall, and in his late teens or early 20s. At the time of the incident, the suspect was wearing a black T-shirt and jeans.

A wanted burglary suspect who Minnetonka Police had been searching for since May has now been charged in court with three counts of burglary, one in the first degree and two counts in the second degree.

Four juveniles and one adult were cited for underage liquor consumption after police stopped a stolen vehicle. The four juveniles were also cited for curfew violations and charges for possession of a stolen vehicle are being requested.

The ‘Cops and Kids Fishing Event’ on Lake Minnetonka aimed to build positive bonds between West Metro officers and children hitting the lake for some angling.

The Belle Plaine Police Department and public works teamed up to handle some tricky situations after last week’s storms bent trees and flooded roads.

A Minneapolis man in his 50s was arrested after he allegedly shot a pellet gun into a window at the Edina Liquor Store, doing damage to the window in the process.