A Little Canada man ran from a crash in Burnsville and went into a nearby home while a woman and her children were inside, prosecutors say.

Anthony Duran Hicks, 33, is charged with first-degree burglary of an occupied dwelling, according to a complaint filed Thursday in Dakota County District Court.

According to the complaint, officers responded at about 6:55 a.m. on September 22 to a report that a vehicle had struck a mailbox in a residential area of Burnsville. The driver, later identified as Hicks, fled from the crash while a female passenger stayed behind.

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As officers searched the area for Hicks, a resident called 911 to report that someone was inside her home. The caller said children were present in the residence at the time. The description of the intruder matched Hicks, according to the complaint.

Police entered the home and announced their presence. Hicks ran out the back of the residence but was apprehended by officers and arrested.

The complaint says Hicks has prior convictions for residential burglaries: one count of first-degree burglary-assault and two counts of first-degree burglary of an occupied dwelling. It says his history of violent crimes qualifies him as a dangerous offender.

About This Charge

Minnesota classifies burglary by degree under § 609.582. First-degree burglary, such as entering a home while someone is inside, carries up to 20 years in prison. Second-degree burglary, which includes entering any dwelling, carries up to 10 years, third-degree up to five years, and fourth-degree burglary is a gross misdemeanor. Possessing burglary or theft tools is charged separately under § 609.59 and carries up to three years.

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Jurisdictional Context

Dakota County, immediately south of Saint Paul, is Minnesota’s third-largest county by population. The Dakota County Attorney’s Office prosecutes felonies through the First Judicial District; cases are heard at the Dakota County Judicial Center in Hastings.