Two men were each charged with the burglary, theft and vandalism at Blueberry Pines Golf Course on Aug. 17 after police allegedly used their GPS and one distinctive cap to tie them to the crime.
Brent Paul Martin, 35, and James Irving Dale, 45, both of Annandale, Minn., were charged in Wadena County District Court Sept. 29 with second-degree burglary, third-degree burglary and first-degree damage to property.
On Aug. 17, a Wadena County sheriff's deputy investigated a break-in at Blueberry Pines Golf Course earlier that morning. The thieves had made off with $2,025 in cash and had done approximately $4,500 in damage to the course during the break-in, according to court documents.
About a week later, the Wadena County investigator received information about a break-in at a golf course in Morrison County that appeared connected. The Morrison County Sheriff's Office had apprehended Martin and Dale and believed they were involved in the burglary at Blueberry Pines, court records said.
Investigators found a cap that was distinctive enough to tie it to the Blueberry Pines robbery, and retrieved the information from Martin's vehicle-based GPS device to trace the car back to Blueberry Pines on Aug. 17, the morning of the burglary.
