Investigators said 29-year-old Matthew Bloomquist was nabbed on a burglary charge after being caught in a pile of dung while attempting to flee. (Office of the Stearns County Sheriff)
According to accounts, a bungling thief in Minnesota was apprehended when his truck became trapped in a sizable mound of foul-smelling manure while making his escape.
Sheriff Don Gudmundson said authorities found 29-year-old Matthew Bloomquist of Hawick, Minnesota, smoking a cigarette and covered in feces on the road Wednesday morning.
In an incident report headlined “Something doesn’t smell right,” Gudmundson said on Friday that “he was wearing jean shorts over long underwear and no shoes, which the deputies assumed were somewhere in the manure pile.”
“Clearly, there was a strong odor associated with this encounter,” he said. “You have a nice blend when you add that to the fair amount of rain we had over the weekend.”
Deputies said that Bloomquist was arrested for taking lumber and other items from a farm shed in Maine Prairie Township.
Surprisingly, the truck involved was still on the site, trapped in the manure, when the farm owner phoned to report the nocturnal burglary, Gudmundson added.
According to deputies, during the escape, the vehicle carrying the stolen timber became trapped in a big mound of dung. (Office of the Stearns County Sheriff)
According to the owner, he spotted two males, but one of them escaped.
The sheriff said that Bloomquist and the other guy had unsuccessfully attempted to liberate the truck for hours.
In response to the sheriff’s questioning, Bloomquist informed officers that his “friend” had purchased the lumber and was assisting him.
According to Gudmundson, Bloomquist was hosed off by a deputy before being taken to the prison and charged with burglary and possession of stolen items.
According to the St. Paul Pioneer-Press, Bloomquist’s criminal history includes two charges for possessing burglary tools and a 2012 burlgary conviction.
Gudmundson said that the deputy’s patrol car still smelled bad as of Thursday, adding that the drive to the prison was performed with the windows open.