Crime & Safety
Man Charged in Connection with Thefts from Eagan Warehouse
Jeremy Lee Schmidt of Spring Lake Park faces three felony charges in connection with the 2008 thefts.
A Spring Lake Park man has been charged with three felonies in connection with the theft of all-terrain vehicles and skid-steer loaders from an Eagan warehouse in 2008.
Jeremy Lee Schmidt, 37, is charged with theft by false representation, theft by swindle and theft of corporate property, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.
According to the criminal complaint, Schmidt was involved in a relationship with the sister of Andrew William Shodin of St. Paul, who was also charged in connection with the thefts.
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The complaint says Schmidt worked for an Eagan warehouse company in which different companies stored equipment, including ATVs and skid-steer loaders.
An informant told Eagan police that Schmidt “set up” the theft of 24 ATVs and three Bobcat skid-steer loaders from the warehouse between March 15 and May 22, 2008.
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The complaint says the ATVs and skid-steer loaders were resold to various individuals for amounts far less than they were worth, and that Schmidt initially told Shodin about the items stored in the warehouse.
Police learned last month from a witness that he met Shodin at a home off Highway 13 in Mendota Heights in the spring of 2008, and that the two drove a rental truck to the Eagan warehouse.
Schmidt was driving a forklift inside the warehouse, and he loaded numerous ATVs onto the rental truck, the witness told police. Schmidt, Shodin and the witness then rode in the truck to an unnamed location and unloaded the ATVs.
An Eagan police detective learned that Schmidt bought a 2000 Ford Explorer in May 2008 from a local auto dealership, paying $4,950 in cash.
Authorities estimate that the value of the stolen skid-steer loaders was “substantially” more than $100,000, and the value of the 13 ATVs that were recovered was around $50,000. Eleven more of the stolen ATVs have yet to be found.
Schmidt is scheduled to make a first appearance on the charges Sept. 26 in Dakota County District Court in Hastings.
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