$150K Bail Set for Rochester Man Suspected of Crime Spree

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) -  (Bail has been set at $150,000 for a Rochester man described by police as a suspect in a recent series of burglaries and thefts in the Rochester area.

The Rochester Police Department on Monday announced the arrest of 29-year-old Zachary James Bunnell. A department spokesperson said Bunnell is suspected of an alleged crime spree that occurred throughout December and specifically cited a pair of Christmas Day burglaries and thefts at the Avalon Cove Townhomes and the Villages at Essex Park apartment complex. The statement also listed him as a suspect in burglaries and thefts that occurred on December 23 and December 25 at Cascades Shores Townhomes in southwest Rochester.

Surveillance Video and Stolen Mail

Bunnell was formally charged Monday morning with felony counts of third-degree burglary, theft, and mail theft. The criminal complaint says the charges stem from an investigation launched by Rochester police on the morning of December 26. According to the court document, officers responded to an apartment complex after a manager reported that every package in the building’s mailroom had been stolen.

The charges state that surveillance video recorded a white male wearing a black jacket and black beanie entering the mailroom around 3:30 a.m. and “systematically” emptying it over the course of several hours. The video shows the stolen packages were loaded into a white transportation van.

The investigating officer estimated that a couple hundred pieces of mail were stolen. The apartment manager also reported that five electronic devices valued at about $5,000 were stolen from the office.

Stolen Van Connection

According to the criminal complaint, Rochester police were contacted in early December to investigate the theft of a transit van from a storage unit. The court document says the stolen vehicle was identical to the van used in the mailroom theft.

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High Speed Chase

Rochester police reported spotting the stolen van on December 30. The charges against Bunnell say an officer attempted a traffic stop, but the driver sped away, reaching speeds of about 75 mph through a residential area.

The court document says Bunnell was later located at his northwest Rochester residence and taken into custody. The criminal complaint states he gave a statement to investigators and admitted to stealing the van and burglarizing the apartment complex mailroom on December 26.

Previous Conviction and Prison Sentence

The statement issued by Rochester police announcing his arrest indicates Bunnell is also being investigated as a suspect in multiple other crimes that occurred over the past several weeks. Court records show Bunnell was previously sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted in 2015 of a firearm violation by a felon convicted of a crime of violence.

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