Community Corner

Two Charged with Beating, Robbery in Burnsville

Burnsville Police say Matthew Loy Maiers, 23, and Steven Lee Dingman, 28, had been kicked out of a substance abuse program shortly before they assaulted a man they met on the street.

Two men have been charged brutally beating a man on a Burnsville street.

Police say Matthew Loy Maiers, a 23-year-old Eagan guy man, and Steven Lee Dingman, 28, of Princeton, allegedly attacked and robbed a stranger on the evening of July 8. 

That night, police were called to a liquor store in Burnsville to investigate a robbery. Once on scene, they found a black male lying on the ground. The man had multiple facial injuries and was bleeding from his face. The man seemed disoriented. He told police that he wasn't sure what had happened, but that he remembered being hit in the face and before he'd gone unconscious. He denied that he had been beaten or robbed, but was unable to produce his wallet and ID for police. 

Officers spoke with a witness, who said she was driving in the area when she saw two white men who were holding onto a black male, pushing him and knocking him around. Then she saw the two actively punching him in the head and chest. She said she asked them to stop, but they ignored her, even when she threatened to call the police. By the end, she wasn't sure the victim was still alive, she said. The two men fled the scene before police arrived, she said, running in separate directions.

While the witness was giving her statement to police she spotted one of the men standing in a nearby parking structure. She said she was 100 percent sure it was one of the assailants. 

The man was Maiers, who said his friend "Steve" was also involved in the incident. Maiers told police that he and his friend, Steven Lee Dingman, had been kicked out of a substance abuse program earlier that day. The two walked downtown, jumped on the light rail and then hopped on a bus, ending up in Burnsville. Once in town, they met a guy while they were walking down the street, who invited them to party with him. 

Maiers said that the man "copped an attitude" with them. Next thing he knew, Maiers said, Dingman had pushed the guy down and was punching him. Maiers said the man dropped his wallet after he was rendered unconscious. He picked it up. He and Dingman planned to use any cash and credit cards inside and then toss it out, he said.

When asked about marks on his knuckles, Maiers said the cuts were from a dispute a few days earlier, at the treatment facility. 

Police found Dingman in the same parking lot. He said he was the one who robbed the man. Officers found the wallet in Dingman's pocket. The man's backpack was hidden in the bushes nearby. 

The witness positively identified Dingman during a showup. Dingman allegedly used the showup as an opportunity to flip her off, then threatened to "kick her (expletive)." 

Dingman and Maiers are both charged with third-degree assault and aggravated robbery in the first degree, a felony which carries a maximum of 20 years in jail and $35,000 in fines. Dingman faces an additional felony charge for making terroristic threats towards the witness.

Both remain in the Dakota County Jail, held on a $100,000 ($75,000 with conditions). 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here