2 Charged with Stealing Purses from Car in Burnsville Park

Two men were arrested last week in Lakeville after police say they used a window-punch tool to break into a car in a Burnsville park and steal purses.

Nico Alexander Constantine, 45, of Eagan, and Olan Gerard McGruder, 46, are each charged with felony possession of burglary or theft tools, which carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

Both men are also charged with theft and fourth-degree criminal damage to property, both misdemeanor charges with maximum penalties of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Constantine and McGruder remained in the Dakota County Jail Tuesday, Constantine on a $20,000 bond and McGruder on a $30,000 bond. Omnibus hearings in both men’s cases are scheduled Sept. 12 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.

According to the criminal complaints, a woman picnicking with her family in a Burnsville park on Aug. 13 told police that they saw a car pull up adjacent to her car, and two men got out and looked in the windows.

The men, later identified as Constantine and McGruder, used a tool to break the car’s window, reached in and stole purses belonging to the victim and her daughter, then fled the scene, the complaint says.

The victim’s family members attempted to follow the car, but lost the culprits, according to the complaint. The victim told police that the purses contained birth certificates, Social Security cards, bank cards, driver’s licenses and other personal items.

Burnsville police told law enforcement agencies in surrounding cities to watch for the vehicle. Twenty minutes later, a Lakeville officer spotted a car matching the description provided by the victim leaving a Lakeville parking lot.

An officer stopped the car and searched both Constantine and McGruder. The complaint says McGruder had 12 to 15 gift cards in his pants pocket.

The two men told police that they weren’t involved in any thefts and that they were on their way home after visiting a “buddy’s” house. When police brought the theft victim and a second witness to the scene, both witnesses shouted, “That’s them!” when they caught sight of Constantine and McGruder.

While searching the suspects’ car, police found a window punch – a tool often used by emergency responders to shatter car windows – and a printer, ink cartridges and products used to make checks in the trunk, the complaint says.

Police also found numerous gift cards and store credit cards in Constantine’s wallet, along with a restaurant membership card in the theft victim’s name and a personal check on someone else’s account, according to the complaint.

Officers contacted the person whose name was on the check, and she told them that her purse had been stolen that morning from a Minneapolis park.