Hopkins Man Admits to Breaking into Truck

A 26-year-old Hopkins man has admitted to breaking into a truck and stealing a wallet, according to charging documents filed Thursday.

A woman told at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday that she saw a man wearing a blue dress shirt—later identified as Charles Thomas Elverum—use a rock to shatter the window of a truck window, Police Sgt. Kristine Smith wrote in the charging documents. The man then rummaged through the truck, which was parked near the intersection of Sixth Avenue North and First Street North.

(Elverum is not related to the Hopkins economic director of the same last name.)

The truck owner later told police that his wallet, containing $140, was missing from the truck and that the repair estimate was $1,918.

Shortly after the initial call, police encountered Elverum and a woman. Elverum was wearing a yellow and white shirt, but there was a blue men’s dress shirt in the woman’s bag, according to the report. He admitted that he broke into the truck and stole the wallet, took the cash out and tossed the wallet in a drain.

He directed officers to a drain where they recovered the wallet.

A search after his arrest found two Ritalin pills. Elverum told officers he wanted to try the pills to see if they helped to control his temper.

Prosecutors charged Elverum with first-degree damage to property and fifth-degree possession of a controlled substance, both felonies. The property damage charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The possession charges carries a sentence of up to five years in prison and a $3,000 to $10,000 fine.

Police expect theft charges against Elverum related to this and other break-ins, said Police Sgt. Michael Glassberg. That case does not relate .