Man sentenced to 5 years in prison after thousands of dollars of stolen goods found in St. Paul home

A St. Paul man will spend time in prison after being charged with over 20 drug and theft-related crimes.

Timothy Lee Donovan Olson, 44, was sentenced to five years (60 months) in the St. Cloud prison, with credit for 609 days previously served. Olson must also pay $700 in restitution and fees, according to court documents.

A criminal complaint shows Olson was charged with 23 crimes in February of 2022, including one count of second-degree drug possession, three counts of theft, seven counts of illegal possession of a firearm, one count of possessing a firearm with no serial number, two counts of fifth-degree drug possession, and nine counts of receiving stolen property.

Olson pleaded guilty to seven of those charges in October in exchange for his sentence, court records show.

On Jan. 12, 2022, officers from the St. Paul Police Department were called to the 2100 block of Berkeley Avenue on a report of a theft of an enclosed cargo trailer with the word “Element” on the side.

Six days later, law enforcement received a tip that the trailer was parked in the driveway of a home on Pederson Street in St. Paul, according to the complaint.

Deputies with Ramsey County executed a search warrant on the property where Olson and his girlfriend were living at the time. During the search, Olson tried to run away but was arrested by law enforcement, officials say.

According to charging documents, law enforcement officials recovered the following items from Olson’s residence:

  • A stolen 2018 Harley Davidson; Valued in excess of $5,000
  • A stolen 2009 Honda CBR1000; Value in excess of $5,000
  • A stolen 2019 Artic Cat ZR600; Value in excess of $5,000
  • A stolen 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 3500; Value in excess of $5,000
  • A stolen 2005 Suzuki GSX-R600
  • A stolen 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
  • A stolen 1980 Honda CM400T
  • A stolen 2018 Triton trailer; Value in excess of $5,000
  • A stolen 2018 trailer with the word “Element” on the side; Value in excess of $1,000
    (The license plate from the stolen trailer was found in the stolen 2007 Chevrolet Silverado)
  • A stolen Winchester semi-automatic shotgun
  • A Smith & Wesson MP40 handgun
  • A 9 mm AR Style Pistol (no Serial Number)
  • A Polymer80 9 mm black pistol (with w/a 27 round extended magazine)
  • Three boxes PMC 40 cal. ammunition
  • A 9 mm Pro-Mag drum-style magazine
  • A box of Tulammo 9 mm ammunition
  • .40 caliber American ammunition
  • A 9 mm bullet on Olson
  • Two bags of methamphetamine
  • A bag of MSM methamphetamine
  • A bag of methamphetamine
  • A bag of marijuana
  • A vacuum seal of suspected marijuana
  • A bundle of suspected heroin

Olson declined to speak with law enforcement, but his girlfriend told officials that he had stolen the trailer four of five days prior. She also said that Olson put a lock on the main bedroom door and that he always has a black handgun. The complaint states she added that she feared for her life and wanted Olson out of the home.

While being arrested, officers discovered meth on Olson that he was trying to conceal and swallow, the complaint states. Law enforcement says, in total, they recovered 273 grams of marijuana, 34 grams of methamphetamine and nearly two grams of fentanyl.

At the time of his arrest, Olson had warrants out for first-degree drug possession in Mille Lacs County, predatory offender registration violation in Ramsey County and a hit-and-run in Hennepin County.

Court records show Olson was previously convicted of fifth-degree drug possession in addition to several felonies, including two counts of receiving stolen property in 2019, fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle in 2019, two counts of domestic assault in 2013 and 2016, and one count of fifth-degree assault in 2008.