Posted: 9/22/04
By Barbara Brown
An Isanti man was arrested earlier this month and is being investigated in connection with several North Branch area burglaries.
Arnold John Clemensen, 31, of Isanti, faces charges of possession of methamphetamine, obstructing the legal process and is facing charges of possession of stolen property and possible burglary charges.
His girlfriend, Lynsey Mary Ann Sjodahl, 22, of Cambridge was cited for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and obstructing the legal process and was released.
On Tuesday, Sept. 7, a Wyoming Public Works employee called Police Chief Tony Pangal to report that he was witnessing a domestic fight in a car in the McDonaldís parking lot on East Viking Blvd.
When the chief arrived to see what was going on, he was approached by a man who was wearing windpants and flip-flops.
The man, who had exited the passenger side of the car, told the chief that everything was fine.
Chief Pangal said he asked the manís name and was given a false one, he later discovered, and had no identification to back up his claim.
The chief said that when he was trying to direct the man into the back seat of his cruiser, the man broke free of the chiefís grip and began running toward Carlos Avery Wildlife Preserve, losing his flip-flops in the process.
Pangal chased the man about a half-mile before losing him in the trees. In the meantime, he had called the public works officer who was still at the McDonaldís and told him to make sure the woman in the car did not leave the scene.
At that point, Pangal said he was still unsure why the man was running and did not know who he was dealing with, so he called for assistance.
Several Chisago County Sheriffís deputies arrived in the area along with Lakes Area police, the Washington County Sheriffís Office and a Minnesota State Patrol helicopter to aide in the search.
The man was found with the help of a motorist who may have had a scanner. The motorist called from 205th St. in Anoka County and reported that the man the police were chasing was hiding in a nearby wooded area.
He was tracked down and a Washington County K-9 unit and nipped in the elbow before surrendering.
Back at the vehicle, Pangal found two cameras, a Sony and a Minolta digital. He also found several wedding rings, including three being worn by Sjodahl.
Upon further search amid personal items like clothing and bedding probably used at the coupleís campsite in Isanti, police discovered multiple pieces of jewelry, both costume and real, totaling about 150 pieces.
Sjodahl claimed that the jewelry was hers and that it had been gifts from Clemensen.
Upon further investigation, police discovered that several of the items, including at least one of the cameras, had been stolen during burglaries in North Branch.
Clemensen told police he had bought some of the items from another man, but did not elaborate further.
Clemensen was held in the Chisago County jail as of Monday afternoon.
Police are searching for victims of burglaries so they may be able to claim some of the recovered items.
For information, call Wyoming Police Chief Tony Pangal at (651) 462-0577.
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