APPLE VALLEY, Minn. - A Dakota County man is charged with theft after allegedly inhaling freon from air conditioning units outside the homes of his neighbors.
Police say between Oct. 20 and Nov. 20 of 2010 Brentyn Krueger inhaled large amounts of freon from the air conditioners of five neighbors to get high.
Officers were called to homes near the intersection of 129th Street West and Floral Avenue on three separate occasions after neighbors found a man trespassing. In all three cases responders found Krueger laying unconscious next to the air conditioning units in an unresponsive state.
They also received a call from another neighbor who told them her air conditioner was not operating correctly and that a man had been found unconscious in late October laying next to her neighbor's air conditioning unit.
In two of the instances Krueger was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
When interviewed by officers Krueger allegedly admitted he had been huffing freon from his neighbors' air conditioners. The cost of replacing the freon in units owned by the five victims added up to nearly $1,800.
If found guilty of felony theft Brentyn Krueger faces up to five years in prison and a potential $10,000 fine.
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