Woodbury police were able to use a cell phone application to locate a man who now faces a charge of simple robbery.

At about 1 a.m. Tuesday a man was walking near the intersection of Woodlane Drive and Valley Creek Road when another man, identified as Eric Martinez, approached him and offered to sell him drugs, said Woodbury Police Cmdr. Jay Alberio.

When the man said he didn’t want any drugs, Martinez, of Oakdale, threatened him and the man gave up his wallet and cell phone, Alberio said. Martinez, 36, did not brandish a weapon, he said.

Officers used the iPhone application to locate Martinez in St. Paul, where he was arrested by Woodbury officers with the assistance of the St. Paul Police Department, Alberio said. The man’s phone and wallet were recovered.

Such crimes are rare in Woodbury, Alberio said. “It doesn’t happen very often."

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