Dennis Joseph Lynch

On 04/16/2026 at about 1836 hours, St. Paul Police saw a 2007 black Yamaha XC50 scooter driving north on Payne Ave near Phalen Blvd in St. Paul, Ramsey County. The scooter was not displaying a license plate. Auto thieves commonly remove license plates in order to thwart law enforcement efforts to identify it. Police stopped the scooter and identified its driver as Dennis Joseph LYNCH (DOB/2005-05-13). LYNCH said he did not have a driver's license and spontaneously said that he recently bought the scooter from an unknown male for $400. A check of the scooter’s VIN revealed that it was stolen out of Minneapolis.

LYNCH was arrested. During a search of the scooter, police saw that its gnition was visibly damaged and had been “punched.” Auto thieves commonly damage a vehicle’s ignition so it can be operated without a key. In a compartment under the scooter’s seat, police found a flathead screwdriver, which are commonly used to engage a vehicle’s damaged ignition. In a post-Miranda statement, LYNCH said he bought the scooter from a man he knew only as “Mark” in about December. LYNCH said he uses the screwdriver to start the scooter.

LYNCH said the scooter was too good of a deal to pass up even though it was suspicious. LYNCH said he "kind of figured" that it was stolen but bought it anyway.