Man stole evidence from cars in MPD's forensic garage, charges say
UPDATE: In April, Dakoda Peplinski pleaded guilty to fleeing a peace officer. He was sentenced in May to three years of probation. Charges of theft and possessing stolen property against Peplinski were dropped.
MINNEAPOLIS — A 21-year-old man faces charges after he allegedly rifled through two dozen cars in the Minneapolis Police Department's forensic garage and stole evidence.
According to the criminal complaint, a Minneapolis police sergeant went down to the department's forensic garage on March 15 as part of a homicide investigation. When he got there, he found items scattered around the car that had not previously been there.
Surveillance camera footage shows that Dakoda Peplinski was inside the lot for about two hours on March 10, the complaint states. The video shows him rummaging through 21 cars and throwing items over a chain link fence. He then climbed the fence, gathered up the items and left the area.
Two days later, video shows that he returned to the car and went through three cars in the span of two hours. Documents state that he had also trespassed on the lot in early February.
On March 22, Peplinski was walking towards the fence in the impound lot carrying a box for a 24" HP computer and keyboard, along with a box for a French horn. The items were valued at $959 and $1,000 respectively.
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The charges state that he ran through a hole in the fence and hopped in a car. He fled from police but was eventually stopped by an unmarked squad car.
Inside Peplinski's car, investigators found a .32 revolver, live rounds of .22 ammunition, a Coach bag valued at $273 which contained a bag of white powder that field tested positive for fentanyl and an unlabeled bottle of Clonazepam.
Peplinski is charged with fleeing a police officer, theft, and possessing stolen property.
"Since we learned about the break-in, we have been in continual communication with the Minneapolis Impound Lot and the Minneapolis Police Department about the possibility of impacted criminal cases," the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said. "We have been working together to document the affected vehicles, assess the impact to cases, and ensure we make necessary disclosures on any pending cases."