Your Complainant is an Deputy with the Steele County Sheriff's Office. Investigation has revealed that on January 11th, 2026, at approximately 6:53AM, Deputy Trupe received a call from dispatch for a theft of a motor vehicle. The reporting party, R. D., met Deputy Trupe at the Walmart parking lot in Owatonna to talk. R. D. Informed Deputy Trupe that this morning approximately fifteen minutes prior, she was getting ready for work with L. A. R. D. Was sitting in the passenger seat of L. A.'s car and L. A. Was in the driver's seat.
R. D. And L. A. Were sitting in the vehicle at a residence on the 3500 block of 86th Street Northwest, Medford, MN, County of Steele. R. D.'s vehicle was parked next to them with her dog in the vehicle. Derek Mark Chambers ([DOB redacted]) pulled up behind them and exited his vehicle. Chambers approached L. A.'s vehicle with what was described as a ''tire iron'' and swung it towards R. D. The window was up, so Chambers did not make contact with R. D. But did make light contact with the window. R. D. Was fearful of Chambers.
While Chambers was at the window he repeatedly said, ''where's my f****** keys'' to R. D. R. D. Then rolled the window down just enough to drop the keys out of the vehicle for Chambers. R. D. Asked if she could get her dog and Chambers did not allow her to. When R. D. Opened her door to get her dog Chambers came back at her with the tire iron and said, ''are you scared now.'' R. D. Demonstrated how Chambers was holding the tire iron, it appeared he was holding it similar to a baseball bat. Chambers them got into the vehicle and drove off with the dog inside.
R. D. Stated her and Chambers had broken up three days prior, but had been dating for four years up until that point. Deputy Seifert responded to Walmart in Owatonna to assist Deputy Trupe in a stolen vehicle report. Deputy Trupe asked Deputy Seifert if he could speak with the witness located in the car next to her. Deputy Seifter approached the witness and identified her as L. A. L. A. Told Deputy Seifert she had shown up at the mink farm, located on the 3500 block of 86th Street Northwest, to pick up some of her cleaning supplied for work.
While at the mink farm she observed R. D. Pull into the driveway. R. D. Told her she was trying to get away from Chambers. R. D. Got into L. A.'s car and was talking with Chambers through the front passenger window. According to L. A., the front passenger window was slightly down creating a narrow opening. Due to R. D. Not giving Chambers the keys to the car, Chambers became more upset. Chambers grabbed a metal pipe, believed to be a tire iron, and started pushing the pipe through the open window as he demanded the keys to R. D.'s car.
L. A. Stated that as Chambers was pushing the pipe through the window, he made the following statements: ''give me the f****** key. I'm going to kill you b****. I'm going to take the last thing you love.'' Officer Bowman located the vehicle that Chambers was believed to be driving on the North end of town, Officer Bowman initiated a traffic stop with Sergeant Hunt. The vehicle pulled over at Cedar Avenue North and 24th Street Northeast. When Deputy Trupe arrived on scene, she observed Officer Bowman giving commands to Chambers, and she parked her squad behind Owatonna Officers and walked up the back of Sergeant Hunt's squad.
