Man Accused of Crime Wave Across Maplewood and Saint Paul
BY MN CRIME STAFF
Prosecutors say a Maplewood vehicle theft on Feb. 28 was followed by a robbery and carjacking in Saint Paul on March 2, leading to multiple charges against a man.
The incidents unfolded over two days and ended with an arrest near White Bear Avenue and Seventh Street East in Saint Paul.
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According to the criminal complaints, the case began when Maplewood police took a report the morning of March 1 that a 2009 Lincoln MKX had been stolen from the Holiday gas station on the 2800 block of McKnight Road South.
The vehicle’s owner told police her boyfriend had been driving the Lincoln the night before when he picked up a homeless man he knew only as “Chevy G” and gave him a ride to the gas station.
While they were parked there, the suspect allegedly became aggressive, grabbed the driver’s iPhone 16 valued at about $899 and took the vehicle’s keys while threatening him, telling him, “I could kill you.” The suspect left and said he would return in 15 minutes, but never came back.
The driver later left in an Uber and discovered the Lincoln was gone from the gas station the next morning.
Investigators later identified the suspect as 32-year-old Johnny Bernard Burgin Jr., of Maplewood, using booking photos and other records. A Maplewood detective contacted a woman identified as Burgin’s girlfriend, who said Burgin came to her home the night of Feb. 28 and asked for a ride back to the Holiday station.
She said she dropped him off there around 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. and saw the Lincoln parked at the location. The woman told investigators Burgin had been driving the Lincoln afterward and claimed it “wasn’t necessarily stolen.” She later reported seeing him driving the vehicle near the Sun Ray shopping center.
When the detective called Burgin, he answered the phone saying “Chevy G speaking.” After the detective mentioned the Holiday incident, Burgin hung up.
During a later call, Burgin admitted taking the keys and the Lincoln from the gas station but claimed he returned the keys and no longer had the vehicle.
On March 2, police in Saint Paul were approached by a man who reported his girlfriend had just been robbed of her SUV.
The woman told officers Burgin followed her into her apartment building on the 1800 block of Mechanic Avenue East around 3:20 p.m., entered the apartment and told her he was “going to take her shit.” She said he grabbed her keys, threatened to shoot her and drove away in her 2007 GMC Yukon.
The woman and her boyfriend began searching for the vehicle and spotted Burgin driving it. As they followed, Burgin allegedly waved a gun out the window.
At an intersection, the boyfriend used his vehicle to block the Yukon. When Burgin got out, the man jumped into the driver’s seat and drove away with the SUV, leaving Burgin on foot.
Police responding to the area soon located Burgin near White Bear Avenue and Seventh Street East and arrested him. Both victims positively identified him.
Investigators interviewed a woman who had been riding with Burgin. She told police Burgin picked her up at a Walgreens nearby while driving the Yukon. She said she did not know him and believed she was simply getting a ride.
When officers searched the Yukon, they found Burgin’s wallet along with the key to the stolen Lincoln and a debit card belonging to the Lincoln’s owner. Investigators also located a small bag of suspected cocaine in Burgin’s wallet and additional suspected narcotics in the SUV that later tested positive for MDMA.
Police later located the stolen Lincoln parked unoccupied at the Sun Ray shopping center.
Prosecutors charged Burgin with first-degree burglary, simple robbery, theft of a motor vehicle and fifth-degree drug possession in the Saint Paul case, along with felony motor vehicle theft and gross misdemeanor theft in the Maplewood case.
Court records show Burgin has a criminal history that includes felony convictions for threats of violence, domestic assault, violating a domestic abuse no-contact order and fifth-degree drug possession. He also has prior misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor convictions for theft, assault, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct and several driving-related offenses.
A judge set bail at $35,000 in the Saint Paul case and $10,000 in the Maplewood case while the cases proceed.
If convicted of the most serious charge, first-degree burglary of an occupied dwelling, Burgin faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint, officers arrived on a report of a stabbing and found a juvenile male with multiple injuries. The boy suffered multiple stab wounds.