Crime & Safety

Police: Man Arrested at Gunpoint After Burglarizing Rosemount Home

George Martin Lewandowski is charged with felony first-degree burglary in connection with the June 3 incident.

An Elk River man is facing first-degree burglary charges after police say he broke into a Rosemount home last week and was arrested at gunpoint.

George Martin Lewandowski, 44, faces a felony charge of first-degree burglary, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $35,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint against Lewandowski, Rosemount police were called to a home just after 9 a.m. June 3 on a report of a burglary in progress.

Find out what's happening in Apple Valley-Rosemountwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As police were en route, the homeowner told a police dispatcher that she was hiding in her bedroom closet as the male intruder went through dresser drawers in the bedroom.

When officers arrived, they set up a perimeter around the victim’s home. As an officer approached the front door, it began to open and Lewandowski emerged; police ordered him to the ground at gunpoint, handcuffed him and went into the house to help the victim, according to the complaint.

Find out what's happening in Apple Valley-Rosemountwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The victim told police that she had been in bed and was just waking up when she heard a loud banging on her front door. She said she looked out the front window and saw a white Lincoln Town Car in the driveway, but she didn’t know anyone who drove that kind of car.

The victim said she heard a loud bang, which she assumed meant that the front door had been pushed or kicked in, and footsteps inside the home. She went into the bedroom closet and called 911; shortly afterward, she said, she saw the bedroom light come on through a small opening in the closet and saw Lewandowski rummaging through the dresser drawers.

Lewandowski also opened up the other side of the closet where the victim was hiding and looked inside, but apparently didn’t see her, she told police.

Lewandowski told police that a man whom he thought lived at the burglarized home owed him $2,000. He admitted to kicking in the door, entering the home and searching for cash or anyone who was living there, according to the complaint.

Lewandowski’s criminal record includes two previous convictions for second-degree burglary of a home: in 2007 in Washington County and last year in Wright County.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.