Evidence links burglary of Mike Conley Jr.’s home to suspected ring targeting pro-athletes, Medina police say
Medina police are investigating a possible connection between a suspected burglary ring hitting homes of pro athletes across the country and the burglary of a Minnesota Timberwolves player and others in the west metro suburb last year.
This traces back to several break-ins in Medina in mid-September, including the home of Timberwolves point guard Mike Conley Jr.
In a search warrant affidavit filed this week, a Medina police investigator said evidence links men charged with burglarizing the home of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow to the break-ins here, and on Tuesday, a Hennepin County judge granted the officer access to those suspects’ phones.
Last month, law enforcement in Ohio arrested four men listed in the Hennepin County District Court filing during a traffic stop.
Body camera video obtained by ABC News showed one of the suspects wearing a Cincinnati Bengals beanie and in the trunk, authorities found a Louis Vuitton bag and a shirt from LSU, where Burrow played in college. All four men are Chilean nationals, officials said.
A month later, Medina Police filed that affidavit, requesting a search warrant for their phones, alleging the suspects were “seen on camera discarding a rental vehicle in Miami…” which is allegedly where a suburban connected to the Medina break-ins was rented from.
The affidavit lists three break-ins between Sept. 13 and 16. Two of them occurred on Deer Hill Road and the third on Hunter Drive, according to the court filing.
Conley Jr.’s home was one of them, Medina Police Department Chief Jason Nelson said.
Medina police hope to find additional evidence on the suspects’ devices, as well as location data that would link the suspects to burglaries here.
“We are working with authorities out there to assist us in gathering that data,” Chief Nelson said on Wednesday.