On May 12, 2025 Officer Peterson spoke with a complainant about a stolen vehicle. According to the complainant she and her husband left their house in Rochester, Minnesota at approximately 0001 hours on May 10, 2025 and traveled to Chicago, Illinois. They left a vehicle, MN RDX 957 parked in the driveway and left the keys in the gas tank area in case a family member needed it. On May 12, 2025 they returned home about 0105 hours and discovered that their vehicle was missing. They never told anyone where the keys were and did not give anyone permission to drive the vehicle.
Their other vehicles appeared to have been tampered with as well, as they found gas caps and center consoles open. Clothes and other items were missing from the vehicle. On May 10, 2025 Trooper Kaiser of the Minnesota State Patrol stopped RDX957 at approximately 0752 hours driving northbound on Hwy. 52 in Goodhue County, and arrested the driver and sole occupant, AUSTIN JOHNSON TANKERSLEY, [DOB REDACTED] for DUI. The vehicle had been towed and returned to the complainant. Officer Peterson subsequently located Austin Tankersley and spoke with him at The Landing on May 12, 2025 and took a statement from him.
According to Tankersley his friend Dylan had let him borrow the vehicle. They were staying at The Econolodge at [ADDRESS REDACTED]. South and they both left the hotel at 0300 to 0400 hours on May 10, 2025. The went their separate ways. His friend went to steal stuff. When his friend came back he had a vehicle and he parked it south of the hotel. His friend let him drive the vehicle. He got into the vehicle at approximately 0530 to 0600 hours on May 10, 2025. He had a pretty good idea of how Dylan had gotten the vehicle.
Tankersley then stated he knew that Dylan had stolen the vehicle. Tankersley stated he was going to drive the vehicle to St. Paul. He was thinking about flipping it for Dylan. (slang for selling it) Tankersley showed Officer Peterson clothing that was in his backpack. Officer Peterson obtained information from The Econolodge, and learned that Tankersley had rented a room at The Econolodge from May 9, 2025 to May 10, 2025. Officer Manson while investigating another motor vehicle tampering about three houses down from complainant's home obtained surveillance footage from Brekke Fireplace located at [ADDRESS REDACTED] South.
Officer Manson reviewed the video and observed a male wearing black shorts, black tank top with white Adidas logo and black shoes park the stolen vehicle on the south side of the building on 1st Avenue SE at 0225 hours on May 10, 2025. He later observed the same male in the The Econolodge smoking pit on the south side of the building. At 0508 hours the same male left driving the stolen vehicle. At 0646 the same male returned driving the stolen 2 ••-CR-••-•••• Filed in District Court State of Minnesota 1/15/2026 vehicle and parked.
