Suspected Intruder, Mail Thief Caught in Rochester Neighborhood

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- Rochester Police arrested a convicted felon accused of stealing mail and burglarizing a house in a northwest Rochester neighborhood. 

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The criminal complaint, filed in Olmsted County Court Wednesday, says Rochester Police Officers responded to the report of a suspicious person wearing a blanket in the 1900 block of 18th St. Northwest on Monday.

Officers spoke with a man who reported seeing an individual open his mailbox after he refused the stranger’s request for a ride. 

That individual was later identified as 29-year-old Travers Davell McDaniel. The caller told police he later saw McDaniel enter a neighboring residence, the complaint says. 

A review of area security camera footage showed McDaniel open and remove items from the caller’s mailbox. Officers found McDaniel a short time after responding to a call in the area of the alleged burglary and mail theft, according to the charges. 

The Rochester man was suspected of being under the influence and attempted to flee officers on foot after being told he was under arrest. Police caught McDaniel and completed the arrest, the court document says. 

Once he was apprehended, officers discovered McDaniel had a driver’s license, social security card, keys and lottery tickets belonging to the resident of the house he was seen entering. The charges say officers learned McDaniel had a trespassing order against him that prohibited him from entering the house he’s accused of burglarizing. 

A person inside of the home told police McDaniel had entered it. Officers found the blanket McDaniel was seen wearing and located mail from the caller’s mailbox inside of the blanket, according to the complaint. 

Court records indicate McDaniel was convicted of Felony Domestic Assault in Olmsted County in 2015. 

McDaniel was arraigned Wednesday on felony charges of mail theft and second-degree burglary and misdemeanor charges of theft and trespassing. His conditional bail was set at $25,000 and he’s due back in court next month. 

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