October 30, 2024

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Elk River Police report: Motorcycle disappears on test drive; students remove signs, soap dispensers from schools in social media ‘trend’; and a stolen Ruger handgun | Elk River Star News

Champlin man, 37, is arrested for possessing the stolen motorcycle

A motorcycle that disappeared while the driver was taking it for a test drive has turned up in Minneapolis.

The victim, a 37-year-old Elk River man, had flagged down an Elk River officer on patrol in the 18200 block of Carson Court at around 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14 to report the incident.

“(He) said that someone had taken his motorcycle that he was selling on a test drive, never came back, would not respond to his messages, and believed that he had stolen it,” according to the police report.

The motorcycle — minus its license plate — was later recovered by the Minneapolis Police Department, which also took the suspect into custody a short time later.

Elk River Police Capt. Joe Gacke said the person taken into custody for possessing the stolen motorcycle was a 37-year-old Champlin man.

Students remove signs, items from restrooms in ‘trend’

Students at two middle schools in Elk River were removing signs from hallways and items from restrooms in what authorities described as a “TikTok trend.”

In one case, reported to police on Sept. 13, students at Salk Middle School were caught carrying around a wall-mounted hand sanitizer dispenser from a bathroom.

“Students explained they thought it was funny when they saw it on TikTok and wanted to try it themselves,” according to the police report. The incident was handled largely by school staff and each child’s parents were made aware of the matter.

Two other incidents of similar behavior were reported to police a day later, both at VandenBerge Middle School.

In one case a student had removed the soap dispenser from a restroom and secured it in his backpack. The principal and the student’s father were involved in trying to resolve that situation.

In the other case, students removed signs from hallways and items from the restrooms. “Both students were cooperative and truthful about their involvement and understood possible consequences should their behavior continue,” according to the police report.

It’s apparently a trend that is showing up in schools around the country, from Ohio to Florida to Nebraska, according to online news accounts.

Newsweek reported Sept. 13 that high school and college students are stealing objects from their schools before sharing them online and dubbing them “devious licks” — referring to a successfully stolen item.

The trend originated with a TikTok user who shared a video of himself taking a box of disposable masks from his backpack on Sept. 1, adding the caption: “A month into school absolutely devious lick,” according to Newsweek.

The video gained 300,000 views and triggered a reel of copy-cat videos, Newsweek reported.

In the case of the Elk River incidents, no criminal charges were filed against students in any of the three incidents, Gacke said.

Ruger handgun is stolen from vehicle

A Ruger handgun is among the items missing after a theft from a vehicle in Elk River.

In that case, someone entered an unlocked vehicle in a driveway in the 22400 block of Tipton Street between 1 p.m. Sept. 8 and 8 a.m. Sept. 9 and took the handgun and some loose change.

A neighbor also reported a theft, saying that her daughter’s vehicle had been broken into and her purse stolen.

Man with pills in pocket arrested

A 28-year-old Elk River man was arrested after police responded to a report of a man who appeared to be under the influence of something. He had been sleeping at a picnic table and was walking down the street near Main Street and Evans Avenue in Elk River. The call came in shortly before midnight, Sept. 12.

Officers located the male, and during the contact with police the male allegedly pulled a bag containing pills out of his pants pocket. The pills were later identified as a controlled substance. Elk River Ambulance checked out the male and cleared him. He was arrested for fifth-degree controlled substance possession and transported to jail, according to the police report.

Man arrested after assault allegation

A 47-year-old St. Paul man was arrested following a complaint that the man, who was intoxicated, engaged in nonconsensual sexual contact with another adult in the 600 block of Upland Avenue in Elk River, Gacke said.

Police had responded to the location just before 11 p.m. Sept. 11.

Catalytic converter taken from Outlander

A catalytic converter was stolen from a Mitsubishi Outlander while it was parked at Lincoln Elementary School, 600 School St., Elk River on Sept. 9 during the school day.

The theft was reported to police on Sept. 10.

Purse stolen, then identity theft

An Elk River woman who had her purse stolen while she was living in Denver, Colorado, reported that she believes someone is using her identity to apply for unemployment and other benefits in Denver.

She reported the identity theft to the Elk River Police Department on Sept. 10.

An officer advised the 51-year-old woman that the information would be documented and if she needed anything further she would need to report it to the Denver Police Department as that is where the suspicious activity occurred.

Controlled substances found in her purse

Police arrested a 28-year-old Zimmerman woman after controlled substances were allegedly found in her purse.

Police had located her and a passenger in a vehicle parked behind closed businesses in the 500 block of Dodge Avenue in Elk River at around 1 a.m. Sept. 10.

The driver was showing signs of recent controlled substance use and provided consent to search the vehicle, according to the police report.

Suspect took pop, Skittles from store

Police were called to Holiday Stationstores, 18823 Freeport St., Elk River at 10:25 a.m. Sept. 9 after a male suspect is believed to have stolen three soda pops and two bags of Skittles. He was seen getting into a black Chrysler Sebring. Police are investigating.