Notice: Pursuant to Minnesota Rule of Criminal Procedure 7.02, the prosecution provides notice that, at trial, the State will offer evidence of the following offenses, in addition to the offense herein charged, for the purpose of proving the motive, intent, preparation, plan, and identity of the perpetrator. 27-CR-25-31844 On 12/17/25 about 2:07 A.M., about 8 days before the current offense, a witness saw GAY removing copper wire out of a light pole. GAY was arrested by St. Anthony Police after a foot chase.
During a search incident to arrest, police recovered several tools, including a wire cutter, screwdriver, several small pry bars and a small socket wrench. In GAY’s pocket was a strip of cut copper wire. This case for Damage to Property, Possession of Burglary Tools, and Theft is still active. 62-CR-24-2683 On 2/23/24 at 2:25 am, GAY was arrested after officers conducting surveillance saw him stopping at several inoperable streetlights carrying a large, weighted down, bag. When police arrested him, they found bags containing a large amount of cut copper wire and tools in his vehicle.
Further investigation revealed over 45 streetlights in the immediate area with fresh damage and copper wiring freshly cut and stripped from them. The estimate to repair the 45 damaged streetlights is about $225,000.00. This case for Energy or Telecom-Damage or Theft, Damage to Property, and Possession of Burglary or Theft Tools is still active. 62-CR-24-1292 On 2/27/24, about 4 days after his arrest in the case described above, police stopped GAY for traffic violations and saw numerous tools, including and rolls of copper wire in his vehicle.
During a subsequent search, police found pliers, wrenches, pry bars, a cable cutter, screwdrivers, sockets, Allen key sets, ratchets, a large knife, and a hammer. They also found four rolls of copper wire that matched wire stolen from light poles. This case for Possession of Burglary Tools, 5th Degree Drugs, and DWI is still active. Current Offense: On 12/25/2025 at about 0106 hours, St. Paul Police responded to Idaho Ave and Weide St in St. Paul, Ramsey County on a report of two suspicious males.
The caller believed they were trying to break into a Toyota Camry that was parked there. Upon arrival, police spotted the two males walking south on Weide. When officers engaged with them, an officer recognized one of them as Gay GAY [DOB REDACTED]. The officer was professionally well acquainted with GAY because he had previously arrested GAY for crimes involving copper wire theft. The other male was identified as, Lay Moo KU ([DOB REDACTED]). KU and GAY said they were walking back to their car which was parked two blocks away but never answered questions regarding where they were coming from.
Both KU and GAY were also wearing multiple thick layers of clothing, which is commonly seen with suspects who commit property crimes in the cold due to the amount of time spent outside. Concerned that the two might be carrying tools that could be used as weapons, officers conducted pat-searches. Police found multiple tools on KU’s person. Police also found several tools where KU and GAY were standing, including a shears/cutter, a screwdriver, and a vise grip pliers. Police inspected the Toyota Camry which was not damaged.
