According to this Dakota County Criminal Complaint, a Burnsville hotel was the temporary home of an alleged bond jumping drug abuser who was being actively sought by bounty hunters. While this sort of thing happens all the time, it just seems that Burnsville hotels continually see more action than anywhere else in Dakota County. With talk of a new hotel in the HoC, it’s a little disturbing that Burnsville hotels continue to be a magnet for criminals.
From the complaint:
On February 6, 2013, officers with the Burnsville Police Department responded to a hotel in the City of Burnsville, Dakota County, Minnesota, on a report of a male at the hotel who had active warrants for his arrest. Officers learned from an agent with a bonding company that Jesse Ray Whaley was believed to be at the hotel in room #159. Officers checked the hotel registry and learned that Whaley was not registered to room #159. Hotel staff then asked law enforcement to assist them in checking room #159 for any unregistered guests as they wanted assistance in removing them from the hotel.
Officers, along with hotel management, went to room #159 and knocked on the door two separate times. After receiving no answer, the door was opened with a master key provided by management. As the officers entered they observed a male lying in the bed farthest from the door. The male was covered in a blanket. One of the officers believed that male to be Whaley based upon a photo he observed previously of Whaley. The male then verbally identified himself as Whaley.
Whaley was arrested on the outstanding warrants. On the bed where Whaley’s midsection had been lying, was a small clear plastic baggie with a crystal substance believed to be narcotics in it. The baggie was seized. Next to Whaley’s wallet, which was on the nightstand, was a small butane torch commonly used for smoking narcotics.
While this isn’t a hole blown in a door by a gun, it still could have become a dangerous situation and one which Burnsville hotels seem to encounter far more than anywhere else in the South Metro. While Burnsville’s Police Department seems to do what they can to avoid these sorts of issues, something else needs to be done to protect those who are innocently staying in hotels in the city.
What do you think about this one? Are you surprised a Burnsville hotel could have been on an episode of Dog the Bounty Hunter? Will the new Heart of the City hotel help this trend or make it worse? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Dakota Complaints Map
Dakota Inmate Dashboard
Loading ...
February 12th, 2013 at 9:33 am
Wait a just a cotton picking second. I thought all of the bounty hunters had to get in car chases where the guy getting chased eventually crashes his car and tries to run away and then they catch him and he says something about “meddling kids” and how he would have gotten away otherwise.
Ok, I might be confusing my perception of what happens on that Dog the Bounty Hunter show I have never seen with some childhood cartoons, but if bounty hunting is more about getting a hotel clerk to unlock a door to find the guy you are looking for passed out in bed, well then I think that sounds like a pretty easy job.
Also, was this guy’s room registered to Mayor Kautz? It seems very curious that the complaint does not say WHO the room was registered to. Is it because this was the honeymoon suite that that hot cougar Mayor Kautz and her new beau were getting before the big day? Maybe this guy was putting in the video system for the big wedding night production and decided to smoke some meth…hmm.
I doubt we will ever know the truth for sure, but I bet I am mostly right.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:44 pm
My guess, Burnsville straddles I35W the gateway to the I35 heading south, as well as I35E heading north and it has a wide variety of hotels , many catering to business travelers on limited budgets. Not to mention all the transportation professionals (truck drivers) in and around the area due to all the distribution warehouses in and around the Burnsville/Savage area.
This increased the chances of questionable guests. What seems to be missing is recognition of this increased opportunity by local businesses and police. The recognition that they probably need to do something different than Apple Valley or Northfield needs to do.
February 12th, 2013 at 9:01 pm
The question is, what Burnsville hotel was the location of this “Bounty Hunter” experience? Was it the one owned by the Pawn America boys?:)
February 12th, 2013 at 9:48 pm
Does anyone know if Jesse was relocating to Burnsville to take advantage of the new “Open to Business” program promoted on the city website?
The Burnsville Performing Arts Center has been such a smashing success the city fathers now think they should offer consulting services to others who think they need it but cannot afford it.