‘Urban explorers’ charged with trespassing in Fridley’s sewer system

Nick Ferraro, Pioneer Press
·2 min read
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Charges have been filed against 11 people who were arrested Monday night with trespassing in Fridley’s sewer system.

The suspects, who are between the ages of 18 and 35, had been exploring the underground tunnels that carry wastewater and contain utility lines, according to criminal complaints filed Tuesday in Anoka County District Court. They each were charged with one count of trespassing on critical public service facilities-underground structure, which is a gross misdemeanor.

According to the complaints and police reports of the incident, a man reported to police just after 7 p.m. that he had been sitting in the living room of his home in the 4500 block of Main Street Northeast when he saw four people climb into a manhole across the street. He said they pulled up in four cars that were still parked nearby.

Officers set up a perimeter in the area and later saw three people emerge from the manhole. They were taken into custody, with one telling an officer that others “might be” down there, a police report read.

A short time later, police arrested three suspects who were walking on the 44th Avenue Bridge and “smelled strongly of sewage.” Five more were found in the 4300 block East River Road.

Inside a backpack belonging to one of the suspects were flashlights, extra batteries, candles and a portable carbon monoxide detector.

Later, in a formal interview with an officer, a suspect said he picked up a friend and drove to Fridley to explore the storm sewer. After climbing through the manhole, he reportedly told police, the group walked and eventually went separate ways as some were walking faster than others. He said they made it to the Mississippi River, where they climbed out.

“It is worth noting that this pipeline would have gone under the BNSF Railroad, as well as the Minneapolis Water Treatment Plant, which are also both considered to be critical infrastructure,” a police report read.

An officer spoke to the mother of one of the suspects who said her son “hangs out with interesting people” who “consider themselves urban explorers,” a police report read. She said her son “has been known to go exploring in caves and tunnels.”

Charged were: Mika Aroha Aili, 20, of St. Paul; Jacob Ryan Flaherty, 19, of Cottage Grove; Stacia Arlene Gillette, 34, of Roseville; Josie Marie Haigh, 18, of South St. Paul; Michael Andrey Eugene Johnson, 25, of Rogers; Trevor Jon Krawchuk, 31, of Oakdale; David Michael Perrine, 32, of Inver Grove Heights; Justin Moran Peterson, 35, of Brooklyn Center; Justin Richard Schneider, 18, of South St. Paul; Eric Andrew Skog, 24, of Eagan; and Anthony Miguel Quick, 23, of Eagan.

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