Trio Charged in Carver County Business Burglaries
BY MN CRIME STAFF
Three suspects have been charged after allegedly collaborating in a series of burglaries, including at a golf course in Carver County last fall.
The initial charges stem from a burglary on Oct. 2, 2025, at a golf course in Dahlgren Township, in which thousands in cash was stolen.
Prosecutors allege 61-year-old James Irving Dale, of Anoka, 33-year-old Shaun William Blankenship, of Minneapolis, and 33-year-old Tara Renaye Molnau, of Norwood Young America, were all tied to additional burglaries in the area.
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According to the criminal complaints filed this week, Carver County sheriff’s deputies were called Oct. 2 after employees discovered signs of a break-in at the golf course. Investigators reported finding open cabinets and drawers inside a back office along with money bags scattered across desks and a lockbox left behind. Employees told deputies more than $4,000 in cash was missing from the business.
Authorities said investigators determined someone forced entry through a small window and damaged decorative exterior paneling near the window. Deputies also found cables unplugged from data units and cut wires from the fire alarm system. Investigators located additional forced-entry damage at a bathroom window near the office and discovered distinctive boot prints underneath a deck near the suspected entry point.
Surveillance video from a restaurant connected to the building reportedly showed flashlights moving outside windows around 1:40 a.m. on Oct. 2.
Investigators later linked the suspects to another burglary reported on Oct. 5 at a business in Hollywood Township, where authorities found a matching boot print pattern at the burglary scene.
READ MORE > Carver County coverage
According to investigators, cell phone records placed Dale and Blankenship in the area of the golf course during the burglary. Authorities said location data showed both men traveling toward the property shortly before the break-in and leaving the area afterward.
Investigators also reviewed jail communications and cell phone messages that allegedly referenced burglaries using coded language such as “work” and “homework,” along with discussions about identifying targets and finding drivers.
Court documents allege Dale communicated with Molnau about acting as a driver and coordinating burglary activity. Investigators say messages included references to collecting money, using “walkie-talkies” and sending photos showing Molnau holding U.S. currency following the burglary.
Authorities said additional phone data showed Molnau was also in the area of the golf course during the time of the burglary.
Investigators later searched Dale’s vehicle after he was arrested in connection with other burglaries in Sibley County and reportedly located boots with tread patterns matching prints recovered from the Carver County crime scenes.
Dale and Blankenship each face charges of third-degree burglary and felony theft. Molnau is charged with aiding and abetting third-degree burglary and felony theft. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Court records show Dale is currently in prison serving a 29-month sentence tied to an October 2025 burglary conviction. His criminal history includes numerous burglary-related convictions dating back to the 1990s along with convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm by a person convicted of a violent crime, possession of burglary or theft tools, receiving stolen property, financial transaction card fraud and damage to property.
Records show Blankenship is on parole after being sentenced in 2021 for a first-degree aggravated robbery conviction. His history also includes felony convictions tied to controlled substance possession, illegal firearm possession, burglary and stolen property offenses along with several traffic-related convictions.
Molnau is also on parole following a 2019 felony identity theft conviction that involved multiple victims and significant financial losses and resulted in a seven-year and three-month sentence. Her criminal history also includes felony controlled substance convictions and misdemeanor driving while impaired offenses, according to court records.
