On January 13, 2026, officers of the Lakeville Police Department responded to a report of a burglary at a local business located in the City of Lakeville, Dakota County, Minnesota. Officers arrived and spoke with an employee of the business who reported that he had arrived that morning at approximately 6:45 am and unlocked the front entrance of the business before entering. He reported that he then noticed broken glass in the office area of the business. Officers met with a manager from the business and reviewed surveillance footage which showed two individuals arrive at the business at approximately 12:35 am on January 13th, 2026. The manager stated that one of the individuals on the surveillance footage appeared similar to a current employee named Zachary Thomas Kelly, born on [DOB REDACTED]. In the video, two individuals can be seen carrying a ladder across the main parking lot of the business.
The individuals then stacked boxes against a wall before climbing onto the roof of the business. The two individuals are then seen inside the business where they load items into several bags. The manager of the business also noted to law enforcement that the surveillance cameras were not positioned correctly, and the manager reviewed additional footage which showed Mr. Kelly moving the camera angle on December 19th, 2025. Officers compared surveillance footage and noted that the individual in the store on January 13th was wearing the same distinctive shoes as Mr. Kelly was on December 19th, 2025, when he moved the camera.
Officers then reviewed surveillance footage from the last shift that Mr. Kelly worked on January 12th, 2026, and noted that he appeared to be wearing the same shoes, the same dark colored sweatshirt, and dark colored pants as the individual on the surveillance footage. Officers reviewed text messages between Mr. Kelly and another individual discussing planning a theft on Monday night for around 2:00 am. Officers then received a search warrant for Mr. Kelly’s residence and recovered items matching the items taken from the local business.
