Contact: Roger Pohlman
Chief of Police
Red Wing Police Department
651.267.2610
Red Wing Police Arrest Two during in-progress Theft of Property
(April 23, 2020, Red Wing, Minn.) – On April 8, 2020,at approximately 11:30 p.m., a Red Wing Police Department officer was patrolling near Goodhue Street and Guernsey Lane, when they met a GMC pickup pulling a newer model trailer. The officer noticed that the front license plate was obscured; the officer performed a U-turn in an attempt to obtain a license plate number from the rear, and noticing that the pickup and trailer had accelerated making a left turn onto Hwy 58. The officer caught up to the suspect vehicle near Hwy 58 and Pioneer road, capturing the suspect vehicle speed on radar at 63 mph. The officer activated their emergency lights to pull the vehicle over, and after a short pursuit, the suspect vehicle pulled onto Quarry Road in the 28000 Block of Hwy 58. The passenger exited the vehicle and ran toward the woods, followed by the vehicle driver. The officer called for assistance and RWPD K-9 team, Officer Dahl and K-9 Archie responded with other officers. Officer Dahl and K-9 Archie began a track of the suspects. The passenger was located by K-9 Archie at the edge of the woods hiding under a large pine tree and identified as James Caliendo (47) of St. Charles, Illinois. Officer Dahl and K-9 Archie then continued the search for the driver of the vehicle. The driver was located in the wood line at the north end of a field and identified as Brian Graff (41) of Hastings, MN. Graff told officers that they had purchased the trailer from a shop owner on Guernsey Lane. The owner of the trailer was contacted and positively identified the trailer as his, and that it was just stolen from his shop on Guernsey Lane. Graff was cited for felony theft, possession of stolen property, fleeing police, and possession of marijuana. Caliendo was taken to MCHS-Red Wing for injury to an eye, while fleeing from police he ran into a tree branch, poking him in the eye. Once released from the emergency department, Caliendo was cited for theft, possession of stolen property, fleeing, and was transported to the Goodhue County adult detention center.
Members of the Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office assisted Red Wing Police Department.