Frank Gums Jr., 18, charged with stealing over $20K from EggRoll Queen food truck
SOUTH ST. PAUL, Minn. — An 18-year-old Woodbury man is accused of grabbing a backpack with over $20,000 in cash from a food truck in South St. Paul earlier this month.
According to charges filed Tuesday in Dakota County, Frank Gums Jr. faces one felon count of theft of over $5,000 in connection to Sept. 13 incident.
Police responded to the food truck after the owner called 911 to report a theft from the vehicle. The owner said a male suspect opened the driver's door of the food truck and grabbed a black backpack before fleeing in a red SUV.
The complaint states the backpack had the past month's proceeds from the business, which amounted to $20,000 to $30,000 in cash, jewelry, two electronic devices and checkbooks belonging to the owner of the food truck and business.
WCCO previously reported on how the community has stepped up to help the business after the theft, with a GoFundMe raising thousands.
Two days after the theft, the investigation led to a witness who told police that Gums had taken her vehicle, which was used during the food truck theft, according to the complaint. The witness told police that Gums showed her the cash stolen from the food truck in a FaceTime call. He allegedly told the witness that he bought an egg roll and watched the truck for two hours before stealing the backpack.
Police later located Gums at a motel in St. Paul on Sept. 22. He was arrested, but denied involvement in the theft.
"I feel happy that they caught him," said Egg Roll Queen employee Yee Yang.
Despite the fact that Gums was charged, Yang said she is still devastated that she'll likely never again see the belongings and cash.
"All the important belongings in the bag are mine," said Yang. "I still feel so sad that I will never be recovered for what we have lost that he stole from us."
Yang thanked the community for helping her through a difficult time, and hopes Gum turns his life around.
"I would say that he's still really young and he's capable of going to work and finding a good job, instead of trying to rob people," said Yang. "I hope he does better in the future."
If convicted, Gums faces up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $20,000.