New charges filed in two counties allege that a St. Paul man who was convicted of breaking into car dealerships and maintenance facilities returned to his old habits after being released from jail in May and placed on supervised probation.
Adam William Klemmer, who has been convicted of 24 felonies since 2016 and is currently facing additional charges of burglary and theft, is alleged to have broken into four businesses in Ramsey and Dakota counties between late June and late July. The 26-year-old was spotted on July 4 breaking into an auto dealership and a church in Maplewood, according to the authorities, and further accusations are allegedly pending against him.
On July 29, about three hours after allegedly breaking into the Maplewood Midas at 1415 White Bear Ave., stealing money from a register, and attempting to start three cars with a key or other object, charges against Klemmer were filed.
Officers saw Klemmer strolling down English Street along state Highway 36, some distance away from the establishment. According to the criminal complaint submitted last week in Ramsey County accusing Klemmer of second- and third-degree burglaries, motor vehicle theft, first-degree property damage, theft, and attempted theft, Klemmer “aggressively” resisted arrest but was eventually taken into custody. At the time, he was wanted on at least two warrants for his arrest.
Klemmer is being detained in the Ramsey County prison after declining to provide a statement to an investigator. On Thursday, he will be the subject of a second court appearance.
The lawsuit claims that two days prior to the Midas burglary, Klemmer was seen on surveillance footage entering Caliber Collision at 1190 University Ave. in St. Paul shortly before 9 p.m. He entered a Hyundai Tucson SUV, pounded on a front gate until it opened, and then sped off in a 2018 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck that he had stolen.
On July 8, Dakota County prosecutors filed charges against Klemmer for third-degree burglary and theft of a motor vehicle. According to the complaint, video security shows him stealing into a vehicle dealership in Inver Grove Heights at roughly 2:30 a.m. on June 23, taking three cars’ keys, and then fleeing with one of them. The next day, the automobile was discovered abandoned in St. Louis Park.
According to a July 28 complaint accusing him of motor vehicle theft and third-degree burglary, video security footage also captures him entering into MC Auto at 1202 Dale St. in St. Paul soon after midnight on July 21 and taking an Android tablet and a 2012 Chevrolet Captiva.
Klemmer has 24 prior felonies on his record, including burglary, car theft, theft, and receiving stolen goods. Seven of them followed the filing of a 19-count charge against Klemmer that claimed he was responsible for a string of car thefts and burglaries during an eight-hour period in July around Ramsey County. Audi St. Paul, Schmeltz Countryside Volkswagen, Eurowerks, and AAMCO were among the four burglarized companies in Maplewood, while two more were in St. Paul and one in North St. Paul.
This past March, Klemmer and the prosecution reached a plea deal; 11 counts were dropped when he was sentenced.
Judge Paul Yang sentenced Klemmer on May 10 and awarded him a five-year probationary term instead of a jail term. In addition, he was mandated to make reparations to a number of the firms and spend 309 days in the county workhouse, with credit for the 309 days he had previously served in detention.
