Two Arrested for Theft from Menards Site

Two people have been arrested and charged with theft of property over $1,000,  say, after they stole scrap metal from the construction site.

Police say a group of people has taken everything from steel and aluminum to copper from local construction sites and attempted to sell it at nearby scrap yards. Workers at the Menards believe thieves used construction equipment meant for the demolition and the rebuild of Menards to get at the metal.

"We know that (scrap metal) was taken a couple of times, and sometimes we'd see equipment moved the next day that had definitely been used by someone other than us," one worker, who asked not to be identified, told Patch this week.

Police can't confirm whether construction equipment was indeed used in the theft.

"It doesn't mean it didn't happen, it just means we don't have a record of it," says Joanne Paul, crime analyst with the Golden Valley Police Department.

Menards closed its doors in Golden Valley this past winter and demolished the building, with plans to rebuild a store at the same location and open it in the spring of 2012.

Though Golden Valley doesn't have a scrap metal yard, police issued crime alerts this month to neighboring cities after the reports from the Menards site and at another construction site at Xenia Avenue and Golden Hills Drive.

"We've seen an uptick in the Twin Cities in recent years in scrap metal theft," Paul says.  "Even in home constuction, workers have to take precautions.  If you're having work done on your home, most folks in construction already know to be careful, but you should, too."