Business & Tech

Duo Accused of Burgling Two Funeral Homes, One Business

During a recent spate of burglaries, Lucas Charles Wynn and Blake Robert Schrunk allegedly stole rosaries, a wedding ring, and funerary urns among many other items.

Two men have been implicated in four brazen, night-time burglaries, three of which took place a half a mile away from the Burnsville Police Department.

Lucas Charles Wynn, 38, and Blake Robert Schrunk, 21, were arrested after a break-in that occurred during the wee hours of May 15.

Around 12:20 a.m., the BPD responded to an alarm at an unnamed business in the 12900 block of Nicollet Avenue. On arrival, officers found broken glass but the suspects had disappeared. A police dog led officers to the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex before the trail went cold.

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The search for the suspects resumed around 3 a.m. when officers patrolling the area saw a man dressed in dark clothing standing outside the business. The man sprinted away as soon as he saw the squad car, fleeing in the direction of the apartment building. The man eluded officers, but left behind a crime scene filled with clues. The burglars apparently entered the business through a back window, which had been smashed out. Investigators found a large white safe on a dolly where the man had been standing. The safe was too heavy for just one person to maneuver up and down the stairs. Nearby sat another safe and "numerous cans of beer."

Inside the business, police found a crumpled pawn receipt on the floor. The receipt listed a Minnesota ID number connected to Wynn. Wynn's last known address was an apartment in the 12800 building of the apartment complex nearby. Wynn and Schrunk were found inside the apartment after officers knocked on the door. 

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Under questioning, Schrunk said that Wynn had thrown a brick through the business' window, then the two of them ransacked the office, filling a bag with valuables before going back for the two safes.

Employees told police that cash, computers, a set of iPod/iPad speakers and a startup disc for a computer server had been taken from the business' office space. The stolen goods were recovered from the apartment where the suspects' .

The May 15 burglary resembled two earlier incidents at the Burnsville branch of White Funeral Homes. On March 2 or March 3, when someone threw a landscaping paver through the glass door and stole two laptops, approximately $1,000 in cash and a checkbook. A witness told police that Wynn had given him rosaries taken from the mortuary as well.

Someone burglarized the Burnsville funeral home again about a week later, between May 10 and May 11. Once again, the suspects gained access to the mortuary by throwing a brick through the rear door. That night, an HP monitor and Dell laptop were taken, both of which were recovered in suspects' apartment. That same night, White Funeral Homes' Farmington branch was burglarized as well, by suspects using the same modus operandi. The thieves stole a silver wedding ring, other jewelry items, six vehicle titles and multiple funerary urns from the Farmington location.

The BPD confirmed that Wynn pawned the wedding band on May 11. The urns were discovered in the apartment where the suspects were apprehended.

Schrunk admitted that he and Wynn were involved in the Farmington burglary. He has been charged with three counts of third-degree burglary, a charge which carries up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Wynn faces four counts of third-degree burglary and one count of possessing stolen or counterfeit checks. The BPD positively identified Wynn as a suspect spotted on surveillance videos trying to cash stolen checks at various locations across southern Minnesota. 

Both men remain in custody at the Dakota County Jail. 


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