A Rochester man arrested in connection with multiple thefts in Stewartville has been charged in Olmsted County District Court.
Chriscil Lionel Lukobi-Johnson, 19, faces felony counts of theft of motor vehicle and receiving stolen property, as well as four misdemeanors: Tamper with motor vehicle; give peace officer false name; speeding and driving without a valid license.
His next court appearance was set for Monday. Lukobi-Johnson remains in custody in lieu of $10,000 bond.
The charges stem from an incident July 17, when an Olmsted County Sheriff's deputy stopped a vehicle about 4 a.m., then learned the vehicle had been stolen from a residence in Stewartville — but not yet reported.
A deputy went to the address of the registered owner and woke the residents, who confirmed the vehicle had been stolen from their driveway sometime during the night. The owner then realized a second car in the driveway had been broken into in an apparent attempt to steal the purse that was inside, the report says. The keys to the stolen car had been inside the purse, said Sgt. Tom Claymon.
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While searching the man — later identified as Lukobi-Johnson — driving the stolen car, officers found a wallet in his back pocket. Inside was information that indicated the wallet had been stolen from the car of yet another Stewartville resident, the report says. When contacted, the woman said her wallet had been in the glove compartment of her vehicle; she's unclear when it might have been taken.
