St. Paul Gnome pub owner decries repeat break-ins, questions prosecutions after latest suspect charged
A suspect was arrested and charged in alleged burglaries at The Gnome pub and a Lexington business in St. Paul.[1]
Pub owner Brian Ingram said he learned of the arrest but remains frustrated by repeat break-ins and by how past cases were handled.[2] Ingram said the latest break-in left about $20,000 in damage that he covered with bank loans instead of insurance.[2] He is publicly calling for harsher penalties for repeat burglars.[2]
Ingram says The Gnome has been broken into more than a dozen times over five years despite installing 22 cameras and upgraded locks.[2] St. Paul police call logs show officers were called to the pub's address for theft nearly two dozen times.[2] Ingram said one prior burglary case was dismissed after a court found a suspect mentally unfit, and he received a Ramsey County Attorney letter saying the dismissal was "in the best interest of justice." FOX 9 The Ramsey County Attorney's Office told reporters that in the last five years law enforcement forwarded only two Gnome cases for charging and both were charged, and the office declined an on-camera interview.[2]
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📌 Key Facts
- Owner Brian Ingram says The Gnome has been broken into more than a dozen times over five years despite installing 22 cameras and upgraded locks.
- St. Paul police call logs show officers were called to the pub's address for theft nearly two dozen times.
- Ingram says one prior burglary case was dismissed after a court found a suspect mentally unfit and that he received a Ramsey County Attorney letter stating the dismissal was "in the best interest of justice," a decision he strongly disputes.
- The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office told reporters that in the last five years law enforcement forwarded only two Gnome cases for charging and both were charged, and the office declined an on‑camera interview.
- Ingram says repeated burglaries have forced him to seek bank loans rather than insurance to cover about $20,000 in damage from the latest break‑in, and he is publicly calling for harsher penalties.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
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- Owner Brian Ingram says The Gnome has suffered more than a dozen break-ins over five years, despite 22 cameras and upgraded locks.
- St. Paul police call logs show officers have been called to the address for theft nearly two dozen times.
- Ingram says one prior burglary case was dismissed after a court found a suspect mentally unfit, and he received a Ramsey County Attorney letter saying dismissal was "in the best interest of justice," which he strongly disputes.
- Ramsey County Attorney’s Office countered that in the last five years law enforcement has forwarded only two Gnome cases for charging and both were charged, but declined an on‑camera interview.
- Ingram publicly calls for harsher penalties and says repeated burglaries have forced him to seek bank loans, not insurance, to cover about $20,000 in damage from the latest break‑in.