Rochester Man Gets 3 Years for Holiday Crime Spree

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Rochester man has been sentenced for a long list of felony offenses, including a series of thefts and burglaries that occurred in the Rochester area during the holiday season last December.

Rochester Man Sentenced For Holiday Crime Spree

Thirty-year-old Zachary James Bunnell was given concurrent prison sentences totaling 36 months for his convictions on three counts of burglary and one count each of first-degree property damage, receiving stolen property, fleeing police, and drug possession. Olmsted County court records also indicate that he entered guilty pleas to misdemeanor offenses involving giving police a false name.

Minnesota Department of Corrections photo

Stolen Van Used in Burglaries

Criminal complaints filed against Bunnell indicate he was accused of stealing a van from a Rochester-area storage unit in early December and then using the vehicle during a break-in at a Rochester apartment complex later that month. The court document says the burglary involved the theft of hundreds of pieces of mail and valuable electronic devices.

Fleeing Police After Release From the Jail

After he posted $150,000 bail and was released from custody, Bunnell was accused of fleeing from a Rochester police officer after he was observed running a red light in downtown Rochester on February 1. The criminal complaint in that case says the vehicle he was driving became disabled after it collided with a concrete construction barrier.

Following his arrest, the court document says Bunnell was taken to St. Mary's Hospital for an evaluation, and it was alleged that he fled from the hospital while receiving care for his injuries.

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Criminal Past

Minnesota court records show that Bunnell's criminal history includes a five-year prison sentence in 2014 for a firearm violation by a convicted felon.

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Gallery Credit: Jessica On The Radio

Filed Under: burglary, drugs, fleeing police, Local Crime Coverage, Olmsted County, Rochester Minnesota, Rochester Police Department, theft

Categories: Local News