Five felonies for Willmar, Minn., man linked to damages at local mall
WILLMAR — Robert Friedgen, 57, of Willmar, made his first court appearance Wednesday on five felony charges of third-degree burglary and first-degree property damage for allegedly breaking into the Centre Point Mall in downtown Willmar and causing more than $14,000 in damage to several businesses.
Unconditional bail was set at $15,000. Friedgen, who also faces a misdemeanor charge of property damage, in scheduled to make his next appearance on Feb. 4 in Kandiyohi County District Court.
According to the complaint, the burglary and damage to the downtown mall was reported on Nov. 13 by business employees who found the powdery contents of a fire extinguisher sprayed onto the floor, windows and walls, along with damage to doors and other property. The damage at the Somali Star coffee shop included more than $8,200 in damage to several juice and coffee machines and other items.
The investigation revealed surveillance video of a man wearing a puffy coat, a baseball cap and white shoes walking in the mall and being in the alley near the building. Information from another police officer revealed that officers had identified Friedgen as being in the area, as law enforcement was called to deal with a man who was kicking violently at a nearby apartment door.
Officers dealt with Friedgen again that same night at Rice Memorial Hospital, after he was violent with emergency room staff. Friedgen was arrested and cited for disorderly conduct, with jail staff noting that his jacket had white powder on it when he entered the jail.
Friedgen claimed he did enter the mall through an unlocked door, but didn’t do the damage to the property. He said he’d also been at the hospital, and had injuries to his knuckles and wrists. Officers were allowed to check a puffy coat they observed in his home, and found the citation for disorderly conduct in the pocket, a business card from an employee of one of the mall businesses. He claimed that he’d done business with the employee, but the employee told police she didn’t recognize the man and hadn’t done any business with him.
Blood found on a doorknob in the mall was collected as evidence. Bureau of Criminal Apprehension analysis of the blood matched a DNA sample from Friedgen.
