A Minden man was arrested on Friday after he was witnessed stealing from an RV parked near Louisiana Fried Chicken.
Alexander Gonzalez, 24, was seen by the RV’s owner taking items from said RV. The arrest record stated, “[The owner] witnessed a male with a ski mask on and a purple hoodie, later identified as Alexander Gonzalez, removing items from his property. [The owner] ‘snuck’ behind Gonzalez to prevent him from taking more items. The two struggled, and Gonzalez broke free. Gonzalez ran north through a trail that runs behind Magnolia Motel.”
Police were dispatched to the site, and the investigation began.
The report continued: “[An officer] walked the trail and located all of the missing items except a Stihl chainsaw and battery. The trail ran around the Magnolia Motel and led to the rear of room 110. A section of the wall was missing from the rear of the room. It was obvious some person was living in that room due to bedding and multiple items in the room, such as cell phones and a digital camera.”
The officer continued to the abandoned fire station on Middle Landing, following the trail north. Gonzalez was located just north of the trail and south of Oakland Street, and was arrested.
The police checked with the Magnolia Motel to see if Gonzalez was authorized to use that room, and he was not. The owner of the RV was brought in to check for more stolen property, and he identified bedding and a hotplate that had been stolen, and he was able to produce photographs of those items inside his RV.
Whether or not Gonzalez was working alone or as part of a group is unknown. At first, Gonzalez denied taking any of the items: the ones found on the trail, the missing chainsaw and battery, or the bedding and hotplate.
“Gonzalez told me that he did enter room 110 of the Magnolia Motel without authorization and sleep there on ‘Monday,’” the report stated. “Gonzalez told me that he did not remove the bedding and hotplate from the RV, that those items were already located in the room. Gonzalez stated that multiple people use that room.”
Gonzalez did finally admit to taking the items found along the trail. “Gonzalez admitted post Miranda that he did take the Craftsman chainsaw, trimmer, Ditch Witch bag, and machete, which were recovered on the trail. Gonzalez did not admit to taking the battery and Stihl chainsaw, which were not recovered. It is possible they were stolen at a different time by a different person, however, this can not be verified. [The owner] told me he was 100% positive the Stihl chainsaw and battery were located on site on 27 October, 2022.”
While the bedding and hotplate were returned to the owner, the report stated, “It cannot be confirmed when those items were taken. Gonzalez told me he did not enter the RV and take those items, but they were already located in room 110.”
Beyond all these items, the police collected three cell phones and a digital camera that may be stolen property.
Gonzalez was charged with theft, simple burglary, and unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling. He also had three active bench warrants through MCC for which he was arrested.
All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.