Man Hit With Three Felony Charges Following Incidents in Woodbury

A man police believe to be homeless has been charged with three felony counts after witnesses outlined his alleged exploits to Woodbury police.

Andrew William Hammett, 20, whose listed address is in Cottage Grove, has been hit with one burglary charge, one stolen vehicle charge and one attempted car theft charge stemming from incidents that occurred in Woodbury this spring.

Witnesses have come forward in all three cases.

Three people told police they saw Hammett in a green Ford Focus he had stolen from a home at the 6100 block of Upper Afton Road on March 19, according to one criminal complaint. Two of them said they gave him a ride home after he intentionally crashed the car in a ditch in Somerset, Wis., three weeks after he had stolen it.

St. Croix County (Wis.) authorities recovered the vehicle, whose airbags deployed in the crash, in mid-April. Hammett faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine on the stolen vehicle charge.

The other two charges are from an alleged burglary and alleged attempted car theft, both of which occurred on April 22.

On the burglary charge, a witness told police he was with Hammett when he entered a detached garage at the 6100 block of Dell Lane North and stole a set of golf clubs, according to the complaint. He then sold five the clubs at a Play It Again Sports in West St. Paul, a manager there told police.

The attempted vehicle theft occurred at the 6200 block of Edgewood Avenue.

A witness told police Hammett tried to steal a Mercury Mountaineer, but keys inside the car didn’t work and he pushed it down the driveway and into the street, according to the complaint. Hammett tried to start the vehicle but couldn’t, and stole a purse from it.

Police later learned that Hammett had used a credit card from the purse to purchase gas at the SuperAmerica at Century Avenue and Upper Afton Road, the complaint says.

On the stolen golf clubs charge, he faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. He faces the same maximum sentences on the attempted motor vehicle theft charge.

Hammett is believed to be homeless and his current whereabouts are unknown to police, according to both criminal complaints.

Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Sign up for our newsletter