19-Year-Old Arrested in Connection with Edina Burglaries

A 19-year-old Minneapolis man believed responsible for more than is behind bars, according to . 

Quinndarius Marquinn Jackson was arrested Aug. 10, after Minneapolis Police apprehended him as a witness to a crime. Edina Police Sgt. Brian Tholen said they spoke with Jackson—who had been their suspect all along—and were able to get him to admit to being involved in the Edina burglaries.

"Since we've been looking for him for the last two weeks, the burglaries have stopped," Tholen said. "The first piece was to get this arrest, now we are working to link him directly to some of the burglaries using forensic evidence."

In total, Edina Police believe Jackson is responsible for 15 burglaries and 10 thefts from auto dating back to June 10, though he has not been directly linked to all of those crimes.

All of the incidents were crimes of opportunity, with 73 percent reportedly involving unlocked doors or windows to cars, garages and residences. They happened largely between midnight and 4 a.m.

The targeted neighborhood in northwest Edina is bordered by Washington Avenue to the west, 2nd Street to the north, Blake Road to the east and Maloney Avenue to the south.

Tholen said it was quite a challenge tracking Jackson down, as he doesn't have a permanent residence. Five detectives in Edina were all focused on the case, in addition to collaborating with Hopkins Police and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office.

"He stays with friends throughout the metro, without any sort of permanent residence," Tholen said. "Because of that, it felt like we were always a day behind him."

Jackson was booked into the Hennepin County Jail on charges of financial transaction card fraud, but more are expected in the coming days and weeks. He was released from custody on Monday, Aug. 13.

Another suspect was arrested Aug. 9 in possession of property taken during the burglaries. Tholen said it does not appear as though that man was directly involved in the crimes, but rather was simply holding stolen property for Jackson.

While they can't yet link Jackson directly to a number of the crimes until evidence is processed by the Hennepin County Crime Lab, Tholen said it felt good to finally catch the suspect they'd spent weeks tracking down. 

"The deterrence value of this arrest is very important to us," he said.

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