Update: One arrested after popcorn trailer theft

Anne Halliwell

Izaak Parker[Olmsted County Adult Detention Center]

(ABC 6 News) – Update: A Marion Township man was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of stealing an Eyota family’s popcorn trailer.

Izaak Parker faces charges of possession of stolen property, tampering with a motor vehicle, and 4th degree damage to property.

The Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office said they responded to a call to the 200 block of 6th Street SW in Eyota at about 8 a.m. July 11, after the Jorde family called in the theft of their 2021 Alumacraft trailer — which contained all the equipment used in their Poppa J’s Kettle Corn business.

Less than 90 minutes later, a woman called the sheriff’s office to report the trailer parked in a driveway in the 1900 block of Badger Court SE, in Marion Township.

Deputies saw that the trailer had been spray-painted and the license plate was removed. Deputies confirmed that Parker was renting the Marion Township residence, but he was not there Monday morning.

The Jorde family unhooked the trailer from Parker’s truck and confirmed that it was the stolen vehicle — but the contents had been removed.

The Jorde family also noted that the trailer had been damaged — they will have to have the spray paint removed, and Parker allegedly broke a lock on the side door and a bracket on the back door to enter the vehicle. There was also a small hole through the inside door of the trailer.

After obtaining a search warrant for the Marion Township residence, the sheriff’s office located the popcorn equipment, valued at nearly $8,000.

On Tuesday, July 12, the sheriff’s office saw Parker driving another truck in the 3000 block of Pinewood Ridge Rd. SE in Rochester. The deputies conducted a traffic stop and took him into custody.

(ABC6 News) – An Eyota popcorn truck’s trailer was stolen Monday morning — but by that evening, a sharp-eyed community member had spotted it and alerted law enforcement.

Poppa J’s Kettle Corn, owned by the Jorde family, posted July 11 that between 1 and 7:30 a.m., someone unhooked the trailer containing their popcorn-making equipment from their Explorer on the street, and towed it away.

Capt. James Schueller said the trailer was valued at about $14,000, while the equipment inside cost about $7,000.

The Jorde family’s posts about the crime were shared more than 500 times, Amber Jorde said, and by Monday morning, the trailer had been spotted and returned to the family.

Amber Jorde said the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office had not yet located a suspect, but believed the theft was a "crime of opportunity."

The Jorde family plans to set up at Eyota Days, which begin July 12.