Duo Charged with Burglary Spree in Apple Valley, Lakeville

Police have arrested two men believed to be behind a streak of break-ins on July 9. The suspects allegedly kicked in the doors of three homes in south Apple Valley and northeast Lakeville, including one which was occupied at the time. 

Leon Kismit Bell, a 39-year-old Brooklyn Center man, and Ryan Christopher Todd, 27, of Rosemount, were taken into custody last Tuesday. Each man has been charged with one count of first-degree burglary, a charge which carries six months to 20 years in prison, and two counts of second-degree burglary.

Authorities were first alerted to the spate of burglaries in the early afternoon of July 9. Around 1:03 p.m. the Lakeville Police Department was dispatched to Endeavor Court after a resident reported some suspicious activity at a neighboring house. The witness said she saw a tan car, possibly a Ford Taurus, parked in her neighbor's driveway with a white male in driver's seat. Another man, possibly black or mixed race, was standing near the front door, she said. The woman looked away for a moment, then noticed that the vehicle was gone and the door was ajar. Officers found the door kicked in, with a partial shoe print. The house was in disarray. When the owner arrived at the scene, she reported that several items were missing, including her wallet with ID, jewelry, electronics, a safe and one of her laundry baskets.

As Lakeville police were processing the scene they learned that their counterparts in Apple Valley were responding to an attempted robbery at a residence about 10 minutes west of Endeavor Court, on Harmony Way. Apple Valley police were called to the Harmony address at about 1:23 p.m. Once on scene they met with a resident, who was crying and very afraid. The woman said she'd been upstairs when she heard someone ringing the door bell repeatedly and pounding on the door. As she made her way to door, she heard a loud bang and the door flew open. The woman said a large black male in a white tank top and shorts entered. She screamed at him to "get the hell out of here" and the man fled.

The woman said she noticed an older tan Taurus type car in the driveway shortly before the incident began.

Meanwhile, an officer patrolling in Apple Valley saw a gold Mercury Mystique, with a white male driver and black passenger who appeared to match the descriptions given by the witnesses. The officer initiated a traffic stop and encountered Todd, the driver, and Bell. Upon further investigation, the officer found a laundry basket filled with items in the car—a safe, a laptop, jewelry and ID card.

A third break-in on Hearthside Way was reported later that evening, around 7:25 p.m. The homeowner reported that she found the door kicked in when she returned home, though nothing appeared to be missing from the house.

During a showup, the victim from Harmony Way was unable to identify either man positively. The woman said she had seen the back bumper of the car and lights, and asked to see the vehicle. When shown the car Bell and Todd were driving, she said "That's the car."

The reporting party from Endeavor Court was able to positively identify Bell and Todd.

Initially, neither man gave a statement to police. A few hours after arrest, however, Todd later admitted he'd been involved in burglaries around the vicinity of Cedar Avenue. 

Both men remain in custody at the Dakota County Jail. Their next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 6.