Stewartville phone store reports broken door, iPhone thefts

(ABC 6 News) – A Stewartville phone store’s break-in may be the third in a series of related thefts.

The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office reported to a burglary at the Stewartville Verizon store (91 20th St. NE) Friday morning, Aug. 19, after a passer-by noticed that the glass portion of the front door was shattered.

Surveillance footage from the store showed that the suspects broke in at about 4:12 a.m. Friday.

Deputies found a large rock on the floor inside the store, and employees reported two iPhones missing from the front display.

The suspects took two blue iPhones — one 13, one 13 Pro Max, which together are worth about $1,900.

Damage to the Stewartville store’s door also totals about $2,500 in replacement costs.

Capt. James Schueller with the OCSO said two other stores carrying phones in North Mankato and Belle Plaine had been "hit" Thursday, Aug. 18.

Schueller said law enforcement believes the suspects in all three burglaries are the same, but no one has been identified or arrested.

If identified, arrested, and charged, the suspects could face felony theft of property and damage to property charges, as well as a burglary charge, Schueller said.