On 11/20/2025 at about 7:55 A.M., Minneapolis Park Police Officer Farmer responded to area of 5500 Minnehaha Parkway, in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, MN on a Park Board call about an unwanted person possibly starting fires and using narcotic in the park. Upon arrival in the park, the officer located the described area of a brick chimney, smelled a freshly burnt fire and saw a man-made blockage wall of tarps and covers. The location of the man-made structure prevented any park goers or park maintenance staff from accessing, entering, using or enjoying that public space.
In plain view, the officer observed through the corners of the erected structure an iron pot with tin foil and coals which is outside of a designated firepit area. The officer announced his presence and a woman inside the erected structure said she was getting dressed although the officer could see in plain view that she was already fully dressed. He directed the woman out of the structure. She claimed to have no ID and verbally identified her as being Alicia Smith, [DOB redacted]. When he ran standard computer checks that name & dob, he was not able to confirm the woman’s identity and suspected she had provided a false name & dob possibly due to active warrants.
She was detained and asked multiple times to provide her true name & dob. Instead, the woman provided multiple different names with fake information, including one for a deceased person. During the on-scene investigation, the officer spoke with Park Board staff, an identified witness, who stated he had gone down to clean that area and had observed the man- made structure, injection equipment, and several exposed needles laying outside the structure all of which created a public health hazard in the park.
She eventually verbally identified herself as being Rachel Ann Smith, [DOB redacted]. When the officer ran that name, is was for a real person but the booking photo did not match this woman on scene. When she continued asserting this false identity, she was arrested transported to HCJ to be identified. During jail transport, she finally admitted her identity as being Smith, Carla Jean, [DOB redacted], Defendant herein. Defendant’s identity was then confirmed along with her multiple active GM warrants out of Cass County.
To avoid being arrested on the active warrants, Defendant had been falsely providing the name and dob of her own sister.
