Jaden Hanson (OTCDF)
Marcus Sewell (OTCDF)
Deovion Bell (OTCDF)
*Additional information provided by the owner of The Rusty Nail to KBRF*
Battle Lake, MN – Three 19-year-old men were arrested early Friday morning (October 4th) after illegally entering The Rusty Nail in Battle Lake and making their own food.
According to court documents, Battle Lake Police Chief Eric Dison received a report of a burglary in progress at the Rusty Nail, and that the owner chased the suspects out and they were running down a nearby alley. Chief Dison was nearby and saw three individuals running, and one of the restaurant owners pointed them out as the suspects. Chief Dison was able to follow them in his squad car as they ran and when he activated his sirens, they eventually stopped running. The individuals were identified as Deovion Bell of Alexandria, Marcus Sewell of Underwood, and Jaden Hanson of Fergus Falls. Chief Dison asked the trio where they were running from, and they told him that they had been above the Rusty Nail, where there are apartments.
The owner told KBRF that he had closed the bar the night before and had arrived at 6:30 a.m. to turn everything on and prepare the restaurant for the day, when he discovered that food had been left out and the coolers were open. The broaster was also left open and had food left inside it. The owner checked the motion sensors and found that they had been activated at around 3:30 that morning. He then looked at the footage on his security cameras.
The security footage showed the three individuals enter the restaurant from a door that led to the upstairs apartments. The footage also showed all three suspects making food, including french fries, onion rings, and bacon, and touching and contaminating food in the preparation area.
The owner told Chief Dison that he had one employee that lived in one of the apartments above the establishment. The employee told Chief Dison that the trio had called earlier that morning and came to his door at around 3:00 from another nearby residence. He stated that he had not given them permission to enter the Rusty Nail or make food, and had been unaware they had done so until he was called later about the unauthorized entrance.
Law enforcement observed all three individuals smelled of alcohol and were displaying signs of alcohol consumption. A breath test was conducted, with the lowest result being .076 alcohol concentration, and the highest being .13.
The trio was arrested and have been charged with misdemeanor 3rd Degree Burglary and Consumption of Liquor Under the Age of 21. They made their first court appearance Monday (October 7th).