Walzville Jungle
2024-09-16 04:42:43 UTC
A man already charged with carjacking a mother and son in Minnetonka is now charged in nine additional crimes.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office said Romell Lewis, 21, has been charged in nine incidents involving burglary and theft of high-end vehicles from homes in Edina and Minnetonka. The incidents reportedly happened from July 16 to Aug. 30.
Lewis was charged on Sept. 8 with carjacking and attempted robbery of a woman and her 13-year-old son in the family's driveway on Aug. 17.
"The location of Lewis' phone and his distinctive hooded sweatshirt were key pieces of evidence connecting him to these incidents," the attorney's office said on Tuesday.
Lewis' phone was confirmed as being at each location in the incidents detailed below:
July 16
A victim had his Infiniti sedan stolen from his driveway off Parkwood Road in Edina.
The person told authorities he believed he left his keys and wallet in the car and that it had been a three-hour period before his car was stolen. He was made aware his credit card was used at a Walgreens in Robbinsdale.
On July 28, the vehicle was found in Milwaukee.
Aug. 2
A woman reported her Mercedes to be stolen out of her garage off of Stonewood Court in Edina.
Surveillance video at the home showed two people enter her garage around 2:30 p.m. and leave in her vehicle. The Mercedes was tracked to St. Paul, where it was ultimately found off Wilson Avenue at about 5:15 p.m.
Aug. 5
A man reported his Volkswagen SUV stolen after it was taken off the street outside of his home in Edina.
The man said he parked his SUV at about 4:35 p.m. and was cleaning out his garage off of Sioux Trail. While he was in the garage, a silver Audi pulled up in front of the victim's home. A man exited the Audi, got into the victim's SUV, and drove off.
The man said he left the keys inside the SUV at the time.
The victim was able to track his vehicle via an app to an address on SE 9th Avenue in Minneapolis. The SUV was found around 6:20 p.m. at the address.
Aug. 6
An Edina man reported his BMW sedan was stolen overnight out of his driveway off Gleason Road.
The victim said "his kids probably left the keys" inside the car when it was stolen. On Aug. 9, the car was found at a home in Milwaukee.
Authorities executed a search warrant on Lewis' Facebook page which revealed an address sent to someone that matched where the car was found.
Police later executed a search warrant at the address and Lewis was present at the time.
Aug. 16
A woman said she was painting cabinets inside her Minnetonka garage along Oakland Road when she went inside to clean up around 11 p.m.
When she returned, her Mercedes parked inside the garage was gone. She said she left the keys inside and the garage door open at the time. Charges say the Mercedes is the same car seen arriving and fleeing the scene in during a carjacking on Wingwood Court on Aug. 17.
The car was found on Aug. 30 at a hotel in Greenfield, Wisconsin. The driver of the Mercedes at the time was arrested.
Facebook messages sent from Lewis to another profile titled "Terro Tragic" showed a video of the stolen car. Other messages from Lewis to the same account referred to other stolen cars as well.
Aug. 17
A woman noticed her purse was stolen out of her car parked in her Edina garage off Woodale Avenue on Aug. 18.
Security camera footage showed at about 10 a.m. on Aug. 17, a gray Mercedes sedan pulled up in front of her house with two men getting out. They both went into the woman's garage.
The Mercedes appeared to be the same one used in the Aug. 16 incident and the carjacking on Wingwood Court that was committed about 50 minutes after the Woodale Avenue theft.
At the time of the theft, the woman and her husband were inside the home.
Aug. 18
A woman reported both of her vehicles stolen out of her Minnetonka garage off of Pine Island Road.
She told police she believed she left both keys in the vehicles and the garage door open.
The cars were tracked via GPS. Her Lexus was found unoccupied on the 3400 block of Humbolt Avenue in Minneapolis. Authorities were aware that Lewis lives intermittently with his grandmother off Irving Avenue, about two blocks away from where the Lexus was found.
The woman's Mazda was tracked to a Kwik Trip in Shakopee. Surveillance footage at the gas station confirmed the Mazda to be at the storm before police arrived as the car wasn't immediately found initially.
The footage showed the car driven by a known associate of Lewis, identified as Derek Holmes. Investigators found communication between the two over social media. Holmes is charged as an accomplice in the Aug. 17 carjacking incident.
Aug. 26
A man reported his Audi sedan was stolen out of his garage on Kelsey Terrace in Edina.
The man said he was home at the time of the theft. A neighbor's security camera captured a white Audi SUV pull in front of the victim's home with two men exiting, run into the man's garage and leave with the car.
It was later determined the SUV the men arrived in was previously stolen out of Plymouth. The owner said she went to bed on Aug. 25 and the keys to her Audi was left inside the SUV. When she woke up, it was missing.
The Audi is also connected to an Aug. 28 incident in Edina where two males are seeing on surveillance footage walking up to a truck and attempting to open the doors. The doors were locked, and the two ultimately left the scene.
Aug. 30
An Edina man said he went for a short walk while leaving his Ford Expedition in his driveway and returned to find someone entering his vehicle and speeding off around 7:20 a.m.
The same white Audi that was stolen from Plymouth was also seen at the time.
Edina police officers were in the area at the time and intercepted the vehicles, which fled at a high rate of speed. Officers discontinued a pursuit due to safety reasons.
The Ford was later found in Minneapolis.
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/man-accused-of-minnetonka-carjacking-charged-in-9-additional-crimes
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office said Romell Lewis, 21, has been charged in nine incidents involving burglary and theft of high-end vehicles from homes in Edina and Minnetonka. The incidents reportedly happened from July 16 to Aug. 30.
Lewis was charged on Sept. 8 with carjacking and attempted robbery of a woman and her 13-year-old son in the family's driveway on Aug. 17.
"The location of Lewis' phone and his distinctive hooded sweatshirt were key pieces of evidence connecting him to these incidents," the attorney's office said on Tuesday.
Lewis' phone was confirmed as being at each location in the incidents detailed below:
July 16
A victim had his Infiniti sedan stolen from his driveway off Parkwood Road in Edina.
The person told authorities he believed he left his keys and wallet in the car and that it had been a three-hour period before his car was stolen. He was made aware his credit card was used at a Walgreens in Robbinsdale.
On July 28, the vehicle was found in Milwaukee.
Aug. 2
A woman reported her Mercedes to be stolen out of her garage off of Stonewood Court in Edina.
Surveillance video at the home showed two people enter her garage around 2:30 p.m. and leave in her vehicle. The Mercedes was tracked to St. Paul, where it was ultimately found off Wilson Avenue at about 5:15 p.m.
Aug. 5
A man reported his Volkswagen SUV stolen after it was taken off the street outside of his home in Edina.
The man said he parked his SUV at about 4:35 p.m. and was cleaning out his garage off of Sioux Trail. While he was in the garage, a silver Audi pulled up in front of the victim's home. A man exited the Audi, got into the victim's SUV, and drove off.
The man said he left the keys inside the SUV at the time.
The victim was able to track his vehicle via an app to an address on SE 9th Avenue in Minneapolis. The SUV was found around 6:20 p.m. at the address.
Aug. 6
An Edina man reported his BMW sedan was stolen overnight out of his driveway off Gleason Road.
The victim said "his kids probably left the keys" inside the car when it was stolen. On Aug. 9, the car was found at a home in Milwaukee.
Authorities executed a search warrant on Lewis' Facebook page which revealed an address sent to someone that matched where the car was found.
Police later executed a search warrant at the address and Lewis was present at the time.
Aug. 16
A woman said she was painting cabinets inside her Minnetonka garage along Oakland Road when she went inside to clean up around 11 p.m.
When she returned, her Mercedes parked inside the garage was gone. She said she left the keys inside and the garage door open at the time. Charges say the Mercedes is the same car seen arriving and fleeing the scene in during a carjacking on Wingwood Court on Aug. 17.
The car was found on Aug. 30 at a hotel in Greenfield, Wisconsin. The driver of the Mercedes at the time was arrested.
Facebook messages sent from Lewis to another profile titled "Terro Tragic" showed a video of the stolen car. Other messages from Lewis to the same account referred to other stolen cars as well.
Aug. 17
A woman noticed her purse was stolen out of her car parked in her Edina garage off Woodale Avenue on Aug. 18.
Security camera footage showed at about 10 a.m. on Aug. 17, a gray Mercedes sedan pulled up in front of her house with two men getting out. They both went into the woman's garage.
The Mercedes appeared to be the same one used in the Aug. 16 incident and the carjacking on Wingwood Court that was committed about 50 minutes after the Woodale Avenue theft.
At the time of the theft, the woman and her husband were inside the home.
Aug. 18
A woman reported both of her vehicles stolen out of her Minnetonka garage off of Pine Island Road.
She told police she believed she left both keys in the vehicles and the garage door open.
The cars were tracked via GPS. Her Lexus was found unoccupied on the 3400 block of Humbolt Avenue in Minneapolis. Authorities were aware that Lewis lives intermittently with his grandmother off Irving Avenue, about two blocks away from where the Lexus was found.
The woman's Mazda was tracked to a Kwik Trip in Shakopee. Surveillance footage at the gas station confirmed the Mazda to be at the storm before police arrived as the car wasn't immediately found initially.
The footage showed the car driven by a known associate of Lewis, identified as Derek Holmes. Investigators found communication between the two over social media. Holmes is charged as an accomplice in the Aug. 17 carjacking incident.
Aug. 26
A man reported his Audi sedan was stolen out of his garage on Kelsey Terrace in Edina.
The man said he was home at the time of the theft. A neighbor's security camera captured a white Audi SUV pull in front of the victim's home with two men exiting, run into the man's garage and leave with the car.
It was later determined the SUV the men arrived in was previously stolen out of Plymouth. The owner said she went to bed on Aug. 25 and the keys to her Audi was left inside the SUV. When she woke up, it was missing.
The Audi is also connected to an Aug. 28 incident in Edina where two males are seeing on surveillance footage walking up to a truck and attempting to open the doors. The doors were locked, and the two ultimately left the scene.
Aug. 30
An Edina man said he went for a short walk while leaving his Ford Expedition in his driveway and returned to find someone entering his vehicle and speeding off around 7:20 a.m.
The same white Audi that was stolen from Plymouth was also seen at the time.
Edina police officers were in the area at the time and intercepted the vehicles, which fled at a high rate of speed. Officers discontinued a pursuit due to safety reasons.
The Ford was later found in Minneapolis.
https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/man-accused-of-minnetonka-carjacking-charged-in-9-additional-crimes