Fresh Snow Leads Cops to Copper Thief at Lino Lakes Construction Site
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A man is accused of breaking into a Lino Lakes construction site late Sunday night after a neighbor reported hearing metal being cut inside the building.
The charges were filed this week after officers followed a single set of fresh shoe prints through the snow and found the suspect lying on the ground nearby.
> Sign up for the MN CRIME newsletter
According to the complaint, Eugene David Benshoof, 46, is charged with second-degree burglary, third-degree burglary and possession of burglary or theft tools after the Dec. 7 incident in Anoka County. A resident near 6590 12th Avenue called 911 around 9:55 p.m. after hearing clanking and cutting noises and what sounded like electric conduits dropping in the structure. The caller said they saw a man dressed in black walk through the east door.
READ MORE > Lino Lakes coverage
Officers arrived and saw the only fresh shoe prints in the area circling the property and leading inside. It had snowed the day before and no construction workers had been on site through the weekend. Inside, police found cut copper pipes and a band saw that appeared to have been used to prop open the door. Copper shavings were visible on the floor. A large piece of copper pipe had been drug through the snow and was lying next to the saw. Following the shoe prints back outside, officers found several freshly cut pieces of copper placed near the building and by the roadway. None had snow on them and each showed multiple tooling marks instead of a clean cut.
Roughly 100 feet from the building, officers found Benshoof lying on the ground dressed in black. The complaint says his shoe prints matched those inside and around the structure. He told police he had argued with his girlfriend, went for a walk and then sat down in the snow. He said he could not recall being at the construction site and denied going inside or using any tools.
READ MORE > Anoka County coverage
Court records show Benshoof has a prior felony record. In Washington County, he was convicted in Aug. 2008 of second-degree burglary for a Dec. 27, 2007 offense. In Ramsey County, he was convicted in Aug. 2006 of fifth-degree drug possession for a Sept. 22, 2003 offense.
According to his jail booking record, Benshoof was arrested on Dec. 7, booked into jail the next day and released from custody on Dec. 10, 2025. He was held on the same three felony charges listed in the complaint and no bail amounts were recorded.
Authorities have not released additional information about the case.
> See more of our latest coverage
Follow on X or YouTube for more
> Help make MN safer with real-time alerts, LIVE video, 24/7 Safety Agents & much more: Download Citizen now
