WINONA, Minn. – Brett Dennis’ Nautica jacket was a clue. It matched a jacket that had that had just been stolen from an unlocked car parked in the 150 block of East Howard Street. Police tracked foot prints in fresh snow to find Dennis, age 35, on foot 12 blocks away at Wabasha and Carimona streets. Officers also recovered a wallet taken in the 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. tme frame from anther unlocked car on East Mark Street. The jacket and wallet were returned to their owners, albeit minus cash that was thought to be in the wallet. Dennis was cited for misdemeanor theft and tampering with a vehicle. Police asked, of course, if he had been responsible for at least a dozen other thefts from unlocked cars in recent weeks: “No. Not me.”
Earlier: More policing aimed at street thefts