GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - Veteran cops will tell you there are many things that give crooks away.
Wardrobe is usually not one of them, but a career burglar's choice of couture threw up a red flag for an officer in Golden Valley recently.
The officer was dispatched on August 23 to a report of a residence that had been burglarized. While responding, the same officer learned that a number of homeowners had also reported burglaries.
While he was driving to the residence the officer noticed a woman walking down the street wearing a heavy sweatshirt and one glove, even though it was approximately 80 degrees at the time.
After she was detained officers noticed the woman, identified as Catherine Lael Beckman, was carrying a bag filled with piggy banks, wallets and jewelry. Those items were in plain view.
Officers also found a can of pop stolen from one home in the bag, perhaps to quench a thirst that comes with wearing a sweatshirt and gloves on an 80 degree day.
Beckman is charged with second degree burglary. She has a criminal record that dates back more than ten years. If convicted in the most recent case, she faces a potential 10-year jail sentence.
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