Charges Follow Theft of Maple Grove Boy Scout Trailer

A Brooklyn Park man has been charged in connection with the theft of a Maple Grove Boy Scout troop’s trailer from a church.

Lawrence Randall, 62, faces a felony charge of receiving stolen property.

According to the criminal complaint, members of Maple Grove Boy Scout Troop 84 reported that their trailer, worth an estimated $7,000, had been stolen from the parking lot at Maple Grove Lutheran Church. 

The lock had been cut off the trailer and was sitting on the ground when the theft was discovered.

The theft likely occurred on Feb. 6 and was reported the following day.

Troop 84’s camping equipment was also taken with the trailer.

“It’s a real bummer,” Troop 84 Scoutmaster Carl Epping told CCX News at the time of the theft. “The Scouts here, you know, they work hard to get all that equipment over the years. Several generations of Scouts have accumulated what we have and what we work with, and they work hard to maintain it. They keep it clean after every camp out. And I mean, this is everything we use to do a campout, to do the learning and training, and just go out and have a good time with a purpose.”

The day after the theft, a witness with children in Troop 84 saw a truck they didn’t recognize pulling the red trailer on the highway.

Through Minnesota Department of Transportation cameras and additional witnesses, the truck was located in Randall’s driveway.

The Maple Grove Police Department posted this photo to its social media accounts on Feb. 12. Both the truck and trailer were allegedly found at the home of Lawrence Randall in Brooklyn Park.

Police officers found the truck and a trailer at Randall’s home, although part of the trailer had been painted.

Upon inspection, the trailer smelled like paint but retained the original red color on the roof. It also had the same dents as the troop’s trailer and had the serial number sanded off.

Randall told police he didn’t give an “[expletive] about the Scouts.”

He stated “in summary that he was sexually assaulted as a Scout and ‘if they don’t go camping, they don’t get raped either.'”

On Feb. 17, Randall told police he’d found the Scout’s camping equipment and dropped it at the church.

Police later recovered $2,653.77 in camping gear that was left at Maple Grove Lutheran Church.

Randall’s first court appearance is scheduled for May 27.

Related: Found, But Empty: Maple Grove Scout Trailer Recovered After Brazen Theft

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