By Lori Ehde
Only three days after appearing on drug charges, Luverne’s Oliver Crawford was back in Rock County District Court last week to stand trial for his role in the burglary of Harvey’s Trading Post nearly a year ago.
In a verdict read Thursday, Dec. 5, Crawford was found guilty of aiding and abetting burglary and of receiving stolen property.
Crawford and 19-year-old Scott Wentler, Luverne, were arrested Dec. 21, 2001, on South Highway 75 near Taco John’s after stolen guns were found in the trunk of Crawford’s car.
Rock County Deputy Evan Verbrugge stopped the vehicle, driven by Crawford, for speeding 42 mph in a 30-mph speed zone. It was 1:15 a.m.
When Crawford consented to a search of the car, 22 handguns and a weapon described as an "Uzi" were found in the trunk. The items were later found to have been stolen from Harvey's Trading Post.
According to store owner Kevin Kramer, the stolen items are estimated to be worth nearly $15,000. Included in that figure is the Uzi, a semi-automatic rifle, which costs $1,300 to $1,400 by itself.
The guns were reportedly registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, but that likely wouldn’t have mattered, according to Assistant County Attorney Terry Vajgrt.
"Stolen guns are not typically sold to people who run registration checks," he said at the time of the arrests. "They’re sold to people who want stolen guns, and they’re used to commit crimes."
Entry was gained through a broken storefront window, and little damage was done inside, except to locks on display cases.
Kramer's security system reportedly had not been turned on at the time of the break-in, and it was coincidence that the Crawford vehicle was pulled over for speeding.
Minnesota’s sentencing guidelines call for a minimum of 48 months in prison for Crawford’s crime, with criminal history taken into consideration. If he is found to have prior felony convictions, the prison term can be extended.
Crawford’s sentence hearing is scheduled for Jan. 13.
He was charged last week in a separate matter for his role in selling meth and marijuana to an undercover officer in November. He is currently in custody of the Nobles County Jail.
Wentler was ordered in a Dec. 2 sentence hearing to serve 58 months in prison for the Trading Post burglary.
Vajgrt said these were important trials for both law enforcement and the County Attorney’s Office.
"(Deputy) Evan Verbrugge deserves credit for recovering the guns," Vajgrt said.
"(Investigator) Clyde Menning deserves credit as well for conducting good quality interviews of Wentler and Crawford following the arrests.
The case stalled this summer when the attorneys for Crawford and Wentler challenged the legality of the search. They argued that Crawford never consented to a search of his vehicle.
This argument was dismissed when the court ruled the state provided enough evidence to show Crawford consented to the search.