On March 17, 2026, Officer Jacobson of the Buffalo Police Department responded to the Ryan Chevrolet vehicle dealership in the City of Buffalo, Wright County, Minnesota, regarding a tire theft that took place on the evening of March 14, 2026. The service manager reported that four tires had been removed from a vehicle in the dealership lot and the tires had a value in excess of $1,000.00. Video footage showed a male in a red Chevrolet Silverado enter the lot on the evening of the theft and take the tires.
The registered owner of the red Chevrolet Silverado was Thomas Melvin Schultz. Detective Adam Nelson of the Buffalo Police Department conducted further investigation. Detective Nelson learned that the stolen tires had been installed on the vehicle on December 31, 2025, and cost $1,224.00. The owner had additional installation costs for replacement tires. Detective Nelson went to the residence of Thomas Schulz on April 7, 2026, to execute a search warrant, and spoke with Thomas Schultz's son, Patrick Thomas Schultz [DOB REDACTED], hereinafter Defendant.
Defendant was a suspect in the theft. After receiving a Miranda warning, Defendant admitted to took the tires from a dealership in Buffalo on an evening three weeks to a month earlier.