Wadena County Sheriff Mike Carr reported this week that three suspects are in custody and a fourth is being sought in connection with an armed robbery and burglary that occurred at a rural residence in North Germany Township during the early morning hours of Thursday, Oct. 9.
Sheriff's deputies and an investigator interviewed a male who reported on Tuesday, Oct. 14, that his North Germany home had been burglarized and that he was robbed at gunpoint by three males and a female. The man said that he and his 2-year-old daughter were awakened at 3:50 a.m. on Oct. 9 by two males who were pointing guns at them. The burglars rifled through dresser drawers and took $53 in cash, along with nine guns from a gun cabinet before they fled the residence in a vehicle.
Deputies and the Menahga Police Department followed up a lead that same night, Oct. 14, in which a man reported that an armed assault had occurred at his Menahga apartment, also on Thursday, Oct. 9. Three men came to the door of his apartment, and as he opened the door they entered, and as he turned to get away, he was hit over the back of the head with a hard instrument. The three suspects proceeded to beat the victim.
Afterward, one suspect turned to another male who was also present in the apartment and punched him in the face.
As a result of the ensuing investigation, two search warrants were executed, one in Otter Tail County and one in the city of Willmar. As a result, two males and one female were arrested and are in custody.
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Arrested on Wednesday, Oct. 15, in New York Mills were William Gilbert Romo, 26, of New York Mills, and Bethany Lynn Kruse, 22, of Menahga.
A third suspect, Andrew Thomas St. Michel, 24, was arrested by Hennepin County Sheriff's deputies on Sunday evening, Oct. 19.
A Wadena County sheriff's investigator and the Willmar Police Department executed the second search warrant at a storage unit in Willmar and recovered two of the guns stolen from the residence in North Germany Township.
Authorities are actively seeking the fourth suspect, Zachary Scott Eide, 24. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Carr said all three of the males have an affiliation with the Aryan Brotherhood gang. He described the acts as "cowardly violence" and said he feels confident that Eide will be arrested soon.
"This is a very serious crime, and we will pursue this suspect until he is apprehended," Carr said.
The Wadena County Sheriff's Department was assisted in this investigation by the Menahga Police Department, Otter Tail County Sheriff's Department, New York Mills Police Department and the Willmar Police Department.
Charges have been filed by Wadena County Attorney Kyra Ladd's Office in this case.
