LAKE CITY, Minn. – A Lake City couple told police they were terrorized by a masked and armed female intruder who held them captive in their house for 3-1/2 hours and demanded money. They were not harmed physically. In the end, the woman went out on a patio and they locked her out. They hid in a fruit cellar until they were reasonably confident the woman had left, then called police. The couple gave this account to police:

> The husband and wife were having a quiet evening, one of them preoccupied at the dinner table and the other watching television in the living room.

> They weren’t aware that a masked woman had entered the unlocked front door. “You should really lock your doors,” the intruder said through a ski mask. This was about 9:15 p.m.

> The intruder had a gun, a knife and a police club.

> The woman demanded money. The couple responded that they didn’t keep money in the house. She then wanted credit card numbers and passwords. Then she wanted to be taken to an ATM. In the course of “negotiations,” the couple came up with $400.

Lake City. Population 5,300. On far north Wabasha County on the Mississippi River’s Lake Pepin. The community is a summer tourism destination. Lots of sailing occurs from two boat harbors.  There is an up-scale lake-side population of condos and stand-alone residences, largely retirees from Rochester, 40 miles away, and the Twin Cities, 60 miles away. The median household income is $71,000.

> The intruder apparently had an accomplice. She made a call to someone with directions to get to the house.

> The woman lingered nonchalantly. She smoked cigarettes and drank an orange soda.

b The couple eventually gave the woman $400 cash.

> After three hours or so, the woman walked out on a patio. The couple locked the patio door behind her and scurried to lock every other door.

> They hid in the basement and called police. This was about 12:30 a.m.

> Police picked up a ping from a cell phone stolen from the couple. The location:  12 miles south near Zumbro Falls near State Highway 60 and Wabasha County Road 2.