Stolen Vehicle Leads Apple Valley Police to Drug Bust

A stolen vehicle led Apple Valley police to a cache of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in February, according to charges filed against a South St. Paul man.

Christopher Alan Siemers, 30, faces one felony count of theft of a motor vehicle and one felony count of possession of a controlled substance following an incident on Feb. 12, according to a criminal complaint filed last week by the Dakota County Attorney's Office. If convicted on the drug charge, Siemers could face a maximum of five years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

An Apple Valley police officer on a routine patrol came across a 1997 Dodge Ram truck parked on the side of the road, according to the complaint. A quick check of the vehicle's license numbers revealed the truck was reported stolen and that Siemers was listed as a suspect.

The officer then spotted a person matching Siemers description standing near the the truck, the complaint said. Police arrested Siemers and found a small metal box inside his jacket pocket. Inside the box, police allegedly found baggies containing two grams of a substance later identified as methamphetamine, a glass pipe and three hypodermic needles.

The officer then contacted Siemers' father, who had first reported the truck stolen. The father allegedly told police he had asked his son many times to return the vehicle, but that Siemers refused to hand it over.