A 38-year-old Saint Paul man sped away from a Ramsey County deputy in a stolen Honda CRV, swerving to avoid stop sticks and attempting a U-turn at a dead end before being stopped, according to the complaint.
The pursuit began on August 5, 2026, when a deputy in a marked squad car spotted a 2005 Honda CRV reported stolen, driving westbound on Sycamore from Park in Saint Paul. The deputy tried to stop the vehicle using stop sticks, but the driver accelerated and swerved to avoid them. The deputy pursued the vehicle with lights and sirens until it reached a dead end, where the driver attempted a U-turn.
The squad car made contact with the passenger side of the stolen vehicle as the driver, later identified as Michael Allen Barnes, tried to reverse. The deputy was able to end Barnes’s attempt to flee.
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Michael Allen Barnes, 38, of Saint Paul, faces charges of theft of a motor vehicle and fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.
According to court records, Barnes was interviewed after being read his Miranda rights. He told investigators he had purchased the vehicle from an unknown female for $50 but then admitted he had stolen it, stating that someone had left the keys inside.
The complaint details Barnes’s prior convictions, including fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle in 2023, two counts of third-degree burglary in 2018 and 2019, two counts of receiving stolen property in 2017 and 2018 and possession of theft tools in 2016. He is scheduled to appear in court Monday, August 10.
Barnes is scheduled to appear in Ramsey County court on August 10, 2026.
About This Charge
Minnesota’s general theft statute is § 609.52. Felony exposure increases with the dollar value taken: more than $1,000 is a gross misdemeanor, more than $5,000 is a five-year felony, and more than $35,000 is a 10-year felony. Burglary is charged separately under § 609.582.
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Jurisdictional Context
Ramsey County encompasses Saint Paul and is served by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Felony cases are heard in the Second Judicial District at the Ramsey County Courthouse in downtown Saint Paul; the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office operates the Ramsey County Correctional Facility in Maplewood.
