Refrigerator theft attempt causes $250,000 in damages at apartment

Police search for Cottage Grove theft suspects

Police in Cottage Grove are searching for two men suspected of causing $250,000 in damages after attempting to steal a large appliance from an apartment complex.

COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Police in Cottage Grove are searching for two suspects accused of stealing electronics and causing $250,000 in damages to a brand-new apartment complex.

Around 9 p.m. on Aug. 22, the pair entered an apartment building off Hardwood Avenue South and were there for about an hour.

However, the items they stole are worth pennies compared to the extensive damage they caused when they tried to rip out and steal a refrigerator. They were unable to get away with the large appliance and broke the active water line connected to the fridge in the process.

"[It was an] unbelievable amount of mess when the workers arrived in the morning and saw water flowing out the sides of the wall," said Dan Schoen of the Cottage Grove Police Department.

The water ran in the fourth-floor unit all night long, causing $250,000 dollars in damages. Cottage Grove police are now asking the public for any information that could help investigators track the two men down.

"These two gentlemen... I don't know if they were trying to support a habit or what they're doing, but I'd like them to know if they need some help, we will help them, but they will be held accountable," said Schoen.

The apartment building did not have an alarm system up and running yet, but security cameras captured a portion of the crime.

New tenants are still able to move into parts of the building, but it's still unclear what kind of cleanup is needed in the portion that was damaged by water.