Man faces burglary, property damage charges for breaking into business

WILLMAR - The man who allegedly broke into a Willmar business Monday night made his first court appearance Wednesday on felony charges of third-degree burglary and criminal damage to property.
Brian Lake Balderson, 50, of Columbus, Ohio, remained in custody in the Kandiyohi County Jail as of Thursday afternoon with bail set at $100,000, according to the jail’s online custody list. He is scheduled for a second court appearance Feb. 17.
Balderson allegedly broke into Hansen Advertising, located at 1030 Highway 71 Service Road, around 6 p.m. Monday while passing through Willmar for work.
The owner of Hansen Advertising, Bert Hansen, wrote a letter to the editor expressing gratitude toward law enforcement and their quick response toward the incident.
“Thanks to an ultra-fast response of six squad cars in just minutes, they were able to apprehend the perpetrator and limit the damage done to my business and building,” the letter stated. “All of the responding officers did an exceptional job of making sure the building was safe and secure. Special thanks to Officer Jeffrey Liebl for his quick response and Officer Frank Hanson for his help.”
The criminal complaint states that officers responded to a burglar alarm at Hansen Advertising and arrived to find a man, later identified as Balderson, inside the building.
When an officer asked who Balderson was, Balderson allegedly replied “you got me.”
Balderson was arrested and transported to jail, where he told officers that he lives in Ohio and had been working a plumbing construction job in Appleton.
He reportedly told officers that he was in Willmar catching a bus and his credit card did not work when he tried to check into a hotel. He told officers he was trying to look for a warm place to stay so that he would not freeze, according to the complaint.
Balderson allegedly shattered a window to gain entry to the business. Once he was inside the building, the alarm began to sound and he allegedly tore it off the wall in an attempt to disable it.
Damages to the business were estimated to be more than $1,000.