Three Men Arrested In Connection To Sauk Rapids Burglary

SAUK RAPIDS -- Three men were arrested in connection to a recent burglary in Sauk Rapids.

The Benton County Sheriff's Office was called to the JK Storage facility on Golden Spike Road around 12:30 Monday morning.

Sheriff Troy Heck says a witness called authorities after seeing a man flee the scene on foot, while another man fled the area in a white pickup truck.

Deputies responded and found the truck traveling along Osauka Road and stopped the vehicle. The deputy made contact with the driver and his two passengers, who deputies say were sweating and breathing heavily. One of the passengers also had wet pants and was missing a shoe.

Heck says surveillance footage shows the suspects entering the storage locker and taking a number of items, which were moved to a nearby fence. Deputies also found shoe tracks in the snow and a shoe matching the one the suspect was missing.

All three suspects were arrested and taken to the Benton County Jail. They've been identified as 40-year-old Tony Boyer of Eden Valley, 36-year-old Thomas Lovitt of Blaine and 31-year-old James Westerlund of St. Cloud.

They face charges of burglary and criminal damage to property. Westerlund also faces charges of giving a false name to police.