On April 16, 2026, at 8:14 A.M., Deputy Kotschevar was dispatched to a new home construction site located at [ADDRESS REDACTED] in the city of Mahtomedi, Washington County, regarding a burglary and stolen tools. Upon arrival, Deputy Kotschevar met with subcontractor M. F., who explained he was hired by Hartman homes to help build the house. M. F. Introduced O. M., who reported that he is also working on the house and the tools he left inside the night before were missing. O. M. Stated that he finished working at approximately 6:00 P.M. The evening before, and that the front doors were locked, however the back entry may have been left unlocked.
When M. F. Arrived this morning at 7:43 A.M., he observed the front door was slightly ajar and the piece of wood that had been placed in the rear sliding door to prevent it from opening had been removed. O. M. Stated that he puts his initials, "ORBE" on all of the tools and batteries that he owns, and stated the following items were missing: · four routers - $180/each · four Dewalt drills - $200/each · one Milwaukee screw gun - $200 · one tool belt with miscellaneous tools inside - $200 · four Dewalt chargers - $100/each · two Milwaukee chargers - $100/each · fourteen Dewalt/Milwaukee batteries - $75/each The construction site had security cameras on the home, which faced the front of the residence.
Hartman Homes sent Deputy Kotschevar pictures of the suspect, who was seen walking outside the front of the home beginning at 7:50 P.M. The night before. The suspect was a male wearing a pink sweatshirt, black baseball cap, black Nike shoes, and black shorts. Additional photos of the suspect showed him with a backpack and carrying items in a bucket. An employee of Hartman Homes showed the surveillance images of the suspect to employees at the Mahtomedi Holiday gas station, who stated that they recognized the suspect and believed he used to work down the street at Wildwood Liquors.
Deputy Schweich viewed the surveillance photos of the suspect, whom he recognized and was ultimately able to identify as DAMON NATHANIAL MITCHELL, [DOB REDACTED]. Deputy Schweich determined that MITCHELL'S registered address is within walking distance of the home's construction site. Deputy Schweich compared the surveillance photos of the suspect to a driver's license photo of MITCHELL and noted numerous similarities. MITCHELL was located in the area and detained following a traffic stop. MITCHELL was transported back to his residence located at [ADDRESS REDACTED], where a search warrant was executed.
During the search, officers located a tool belt and tool pouch, both of which O. M. Identified as his, and the pink sweatshirt, backpack, and baseball hat that MITCHELL was seen wearing in the surveillance video from the burglary. MITCHELL was also wearing the same black Nike shoes. MITCHELL provided a statement to officers in which he admitted that he had already sold most of the stolen items to someone in St. Paul. MITCHELL is not currently in custody.
