WINONA, Minn. – A man apparently hooked on canned-air inhalants went store to store, took cannisters from store shelves, and went on a huffing binge in store restroom stalls. At Target, police found 11 depleted cannisters. Police said they knew the man and were looking for him. The huffing odyssey began late Tuesday afternoon:
> 4:20 p.m.: A man was discovered huffing at Burggraf’s Ace Hardware, 320 West Second Street. Police were called. They decided not to issue a citation – huffing being only a misdemeanor. The man was sent on his way.
> 6 p.m.: Police were called to Walmart, 955 Frontenac Drive, that a man had been puffing in the men’s rom. He was gone. Surveillance video suggested it was the same guy as at Burggraf’s.
> 11:30 p.m.: Burglar alarms drew police to the Target department store, 860 Mankato Avenue. Police found an exit door had been breached, which set off alarms. So did motion detectors that had been turned o when the store closed at 10 p.m. Video showed the man in the same clothes as a Burggraf’s and Walmart. He emerged after hiurs from the bathroom, walked around thendark store, and put merchandise in his pockets. He was gone when police and store security staff arrived. In the store restroom officers found 11 exhausted cannisters of the product Dust-Off.
Huffing profile
Huffing with canned air or Dust-Off involves inhaling the compressed gas, which can cause feelings of excitement, lightheadedness, and a temporary high. Huffing dangerous and can cause serious health problems, such as damage to the brain, lungs, liver, and other organs.