On March 7, 2026, the Anoka County Sheriff's Office received a report of a theft from a vehicle at the Great Clips located at [ADDRESS REDACTED]. NE, city of Ham Lake, county of Anoka. Law enforcement spoke with H. T., "Victim" herein, an employee of Great Clips, who stated that a male, R. T. G., came into the store with some bags and stated they had been dumped in front of his house. Victim recognized the items as her belongings that she had stored in her Dodge Grand Caravan, parked in the rear of the store.
Victim told law enforcement that her vehicle had been parked out back and was unlocked because the freezing rain the prior night caused her to be unable to properly close and lock the van door. Victim reported that approximately $3,000 in cash tips were missing from one of the bags. The bags also contained a Dyson Air Wrap worth approximately $600 along with other miscellaneous items valued at $200, for a total theft of $3,800. Victim did recover the Dyson Air Wrap and the other items, but the cash was not recovered.
Law enforcement spoke with R. T. G. Who stated that the bags were left in the street in front of his home, about a block away from Great Clips, by someone driving a grey pick-up truck. He noticed that some of the items contained a Great Clips logo, leading him to believe the items belonged to someone who worked there. Law enforcement obtained surveillance photos that showed a grey Chevrolet pickup truck with MN License plate #PFE 842 pull up next to Victim's vehicle. A heavy-set white male with short hair and a beard exits the driver's side of the truck, enters Victim's vehicle and then gets back into the truck and leaves the area.
Law enforcement learned that the vehicle was registered to CHAD LEONARD BACKES [DOB REDACTED], "Defendant" herein. Officers were familiar with Defendant from prior thefts from vehicle cases. In reviewing the surveillance video and comparing the footage to photos of Defendant as well as their prior contacts, law enforcement confirmed Defendant was the individual in the grey Chevrolet. Defendant is in custody.
