Two men forced their way into an Aurora apartment, assaulted the resident and took his phone and wallet before leaving, according to a criminal complaint.
Gavin Robert Jackson of Virginia, who was 28 at the time of the alleged offense, faces three felony charges: aiding and abetting first-degree burglary with assault, aiding and abetting first-degree aggravated robbery and aiding and abetting first-degree burglary of an occupied dwelling.
According to the complaint, an East Range police officer spoke by phone on August 25, 2026, with a neighbor who reported that the victim had been assaulted. The neighbor had video footage capturing part of the incident. The officer told the neighbor to encourage the victim to call, and around 5:51 p.m. that day, officers spoke with the victim by phone.
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The victim told officers that around 10 p.m. the previous night, two men came to his apartment door and mentioned money and a missed payment. The victim said he tried to shut the door, but the men forced their way inside and began hitting him. The men then took the victim’s pink iPhone and wallet. The victim used his Apple Watch to track the stolen phone to an address in Eveleth.
The victim said he knew the two men as JR Kesler and Gavin, also known as “Sosa.” Based on a driver’s license photo, the neighbor’s video and photos from a Facebook account believed to be associated with Jackson, “Sosa” appears to be Jackson, the complaint says. Asked whether they had any history with either man or the address, Eveleth police provided the name Scott Kesler. The victim’s phone then moved to a second Eveleth address, and Eveleth officers went there.
At that address, officers found Scott Fitzgerald Kesler and took him into custody. Kesler was charged separately in August in connection with the same incident. The homeowner, after searching with an officer’s flashlight, found a bag containing a pink iPhone. An officer later confirmed it was the victim’s stolen phone by turning it on and calling the number.
In a later in-person interview, the victim told an officer that after the suspects forced their way in, Kesler held him in a choke hold while Jackson went through his pockets and took his wallet and phone. The neighbor’s video appears to show a woman and Jackson walking up to the victim’s door around 8:57 p.m. and a verbal argument after the victim answered, the complaint says. It appears to show that after the victim closed the door, Kesler walked up and turned the camera toward the ceiling, followed by the sound of a heavy thud and males yelling. Around 9:02 p.m., Jackson, Kesler, the woman and another person left the area, according to the complaint.
The charges allege Jackson intentionally aided or conspired with another in entering the victim’s apartment without consent and assaulting a person inside, in taking the victim’s property by force while inflicting bodily harm and in entering a dwelling without consent while someone who was not an accomplice was present.
The state requested a warrant for Jackson’s arrest, saying his whereabouts appear unknown and citing public safety. A judge signed the warrant on September 30.
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Jurisdictional Context
Saint Louis County is Minnesota’s largest county by area, stretching from Duluth to the Canadian border. The Saint Louis County Attorney’s Office prosecutes felonies through the Sixth Judicial District; cases are heard at courthouses in Duluth, Hibbing and Virginia.
