On Thursday, January 22, 2026, at approximately 5:20 PM, Minnetonka Police Officers responded to a Best Buy store, located on Ridgedale Drive in Hennepin County, MN, on report of a past-action theft. Upon arrival Officers spoke with a Best Buy loss prevention employee who informed them that at approximately 4:20 PM the same day, a male, subsequently identified as PIERRE PEARSON JOPLIN, hereafter Defendant, entered Best Buy, concealed $1,774.96 worth of SSD cards in his clothing, and left the store with the cards but without making payment.
Defendant did not have permission to take the cards without making payment. Officers were also provided with the license plate number of the vehicle that Defendant was driving at the time of the theft and surveillance footage of the incident. In identifying Defendant, Officers determined that the same vehicle had previously been involved in a theft from another Best Buy location in Maple Grove, for which Defendant was identified as the suspect. Officers also compared the surveillance footage of the incident to previous booking photographs of Defendant and visually confirmed his identity.
Additionally, Officers sent photographs of Defendant to his probation officer, who positively confirmed his identity. At present, Defendant is not in custody.
