Homeless Man Accused of Breaking into Rochester Home While Grandma & Grandchildren Were Inside

Rochester, MN (RochesterNow)- A homeless man was arrested following a home burglary in southeast Rochester Tuesday morning. 

See Also: Man and Woman Hurt in Crash on Hwy. 247 Near Plainview 

That’s according to a criminal complaint filed in Olmsted County Court on Wednesday. 

The court document says a grandmother and her grandchildren were home at the time of the alleged burglary and theft. 

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Home With Grandmother and Grandchildren Inside Burglarized in Southeast Rochester

Rochester police responded to the victim’s single-family home in the 800 block of 8th Ave. SE and spoke with the grandmother, who told police her son called her shortly before 5:30 Tuesday morning and stated he observed someone entering the home. 

The woman’s son was at work but saw the alleged break-in on a home security camera, the complaint says. 

The woman said she made sure the children, described in the complaint as ages 8, 15 and 9, were safe. 

Once she confirmed they were okay she went downstairs and noticed the home’s back exterior motion-activated light was on.  Officers arrived and did not find an intruder in the home, the court document says. 

They were shown camera footage that showed a man ride a bike up to the home’s back door, enter the house and take a pair of black shoes. The homeowner also reported an iPhone 13 and an iPhone 13 charger were missing, according to the complaint. 

Suspect Spotted on Bike Near Hwy. 14

About an hour after responding to the burglary report, officers located the suspect riding a bike on Hwy. 14 near Marion Rd SE. He is identified as 36-year-old Austin James Hall. 

The court document says Hall was wearing the black shoes that had been reported stolen and was also in possession of the missing iPhone. 

He was taken into custody and the phone and shoes were returned to the victim. The charger was not located. 

Hall denied taking the items, the complaint says. 

Court records indicate Hall has a criminal record that dates back to 2011. It includes two fifth-degree drug possession convictions and a conviction of gross misdemeanor privacy interference. 

Hall is charged with first-degree burglary. He scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday morning.