Allegedly on

video camera

system

BROWN COUNTY — A 20-year-old Russell man was charged with felony 1st-degree burglary of an occupied dwelling and theft for taking a motor vehicle without owner consent in Brown County District Court Monday.

Nicolas J. Marczak is linked to the charges by a video surveillance camera after allegedly stealing a vehicle in Brown County Sept. 2, according to court documents. He is summoned to appear in court at 8:30 a.m., Oct. 9.

A Brown County Sheriff’s Deputy was contacted by a Minnesota state trooper on Sept. 2. The trooper said he was with an alleged victim in Redwood County who asked to report a vehicle stolen from his Sleepy Eye residence by Marczak. Marczak was recorded on the system entering the victim’s residence and leaving in the vehicle without the vehicle owner’s consent.

The victim and his friend identified Marczak as the person on the surveillance video and told the trooper there was a vehicle parked north of his residence in a suspicious place. The trooper asked the deputy to attempt to locate it to check if it matches Redwood County’s stolen vehicle report earlier that day in Lamberton.

The deputy located a vehicle parked on a field road close to the victim’s residence at about 8 p.m. that night. Brown County dispatch confirmed the vehicle was stolen from Redwood County. The vehicle was about a half mile south of the CXR 22/290th Avenue intersection, then west of 290th Avenue on a field road about 200 to 300 yards from the gravel road, near where another vehicle was reported stolen.

The deputy photographed the vehicle parked directly across from mailbox number 15738 290th Ave., removed the keys and secured it.

New Ulm Police reviewed the video with the victim and downloaded it. The video showed Marczak walking into the house at 10:23 a.m., searching for items inside, leaving the house at 10:28 a.m. with something around his neck like a camera case, then driving off in the victim’s vehicle, a Chevy pickup, at 10:28 p.m.

The victim said he located his truck on a vacant Redwood County farm site. The victim said he noticed some vehicle damage to the right and left side of the rear bumper and some front end damage. He estimated the damage at $2,000.

The victim said he believes a witness is missing property from the pickup truck. The victim said he is not missing anything but found some gloves in the truck that are not his.