Reward offered in latest burglaries

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Cloquet Police are offering a $500 reward for any information leading to the arrest and conviction of any person or persons responsible for a continuing rash of burglaries in the Cloquet area in recent months.

The most recent incidents were reported to authorities on Sunday morning. According to Cloquet Police Detective Darrin Berg, Gordy’s Hi-Hat on Highway 33 North was entered sometime during the night, as well as the adjacent Warming House. It is unknown at this time if any cash was taken.

The Dollar Store also reported having been entered, and the intruder(s) attempted to break into the store safe. Though the attempt was unsuccessful, the safe was irreparably damaged in the process.

A homeowner on Maplewood Avenue in Cloquet also reported his house had been burglarized sometime over the weekend while he was away, and $2,000 worth of jewelry was taken.

In all cases, the burglar(s) gain entry by damaging or forcing the door open.

These were just the latest in an unusually high number of burglaries in the area. Three others occurred in late February and early March, when neighborhoods in the vicinity of Cloquet’s Washington and Doddridge avenues were targeted. Merchandise including a television set, diamond and ruby jewelry, firearms and collectible coins were stolen from three residences. Firearms,power tools and ATVS were taken in a seperate incident on St. Louis River Road. An arrest has since been made in relation to that incident, though the ATVs have not yet been recovered.

“We just can’t hardly keep up with it,” said Berg, who added that Cloquet Police have been meeting every other week with the Regional Property Crimes Unit in Duluth, which has logged some 30-40 homes and/or businesses that have been targeted in recent weeks.

Berg said evidence has been collected in the most recent incidents, and various suspects have been identified in relation to the earlier burglaries, though no arrests have yet been made.

“We’re confident that as the weeks go on, something will develop that will lead us to the person or persons responsible,” stated Berg.

Anyone with possible information on any of the burglaries should contact Cloquet Police at 218-879-1247.

Tags: carlton county, news, cloquet, crime