Charges: Man Broke Into Ex-Wife's Home, Stole Property
HASTINGS, Minn. (WCCO) – A 55-year-old man is accused of breaking into his ex-wife's house while she was out for a run and stealing a baton, according to criminal charges filed Wednesday in Dakota County District Court.
Stephen Alan Swenson was charged with one count of second-degree burglary, a gross misdemeanor.
According to a criminal complaint, Hastings Police received a report of a suspicious male at about 6:20 a.m. who may have broken into a residence. A witness told police that she saw her neighbor leave her home for a morning run.
After the woman left, the witness said a man was lurking in the bushes near the home and appeared to go inside. The man came out a short time later carrying a small bag. The witness identified the man as Swenson, the woman's ex-husband.
Police checked the victim's house and didn't notice any forced entry but met up with the woman when she returned from her run. Police told her what they had learned from the witness, and she said it was probably her ex-husband. The victim has an order of protection against Swenson that doesn't allow him to be in the neighborhood, according to the complaint.
The woman told police she doesn't lock her door when leaving to go for a run, and that's probably how the man got into the home. While doing an inventory of the home, she told police a black expandable baton or Asp was missing, according to the complaint.
Police later met up with Swenson and he admitted to being at the residence that morning, but with the victim's consent. Swenson has a previous conviction from just last month for violating the order of protection against the woman, according to the complaint.
If convicted, Swenson faces a maximum penalty of up to a year in jail and/or $3,000 in fines.
