Hopkins Man Charged with Burglarizing Vacant Home

A Hopkins man has been charged with burglarizing a vacant home on Blake Road North and telling police that he broke in to steal materials that he could sell for scrap.

Anthony Arthur Koelfgen, 47, was arrested on Nov. 15.

Police were called to the home in the 400 block of Blake Road North just before 11 p.m. after a witness reported seeing a man kicking in the door and entering the property, according to the criminal complaint, signed by Hopkins Police Sgt. Raymond Laudenbach.

The City of Hopkins owns the property.

Police waited outside until the man—identified as Koelfgen—emerged from the house. He was arrested, and police found a pair of wire cutters, a screwdriver, a hammer covered in taped fabric and a flashlight in his pockets, according to the complaint.

The door of the property was damaged, police said.

Koelfgen admitted after his arrest that he broke into the home to look for materials that he could sell for scrap, according to the complaint.

Koelfgen is charged with third-degree burglary, a felony with a maximum penalty of five years and a $10,000 fine.

He has been released from custody on a $20,000 bond. An omnibus hearing in his case is scheduled Feb. 12 in Hennepin County District Court.