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2 Arrested For Allegedly Stealing From FBI Agent's Vehicle

ST. PAUL (WCCO) -- Two people have been arrested and are currently being held in the Hennepin County Jail, accused of breaking into and stealing from a Minneapolis FBI Special Agent's vehicle.

According to a federal complaint filed Wednesday, Tania Marie Thompson, 34, and Milton Carlton Rucker, Jr., 38, both from Minneapolis, stole government property, committed bank fraud and committed identification theft.

On July 22, they allegedly broke into a Ford Explorer owned by a FBI Special Agent. The agent's duty pistol, badge, credentials, personal credit cards, a watch and other items were stolen from a duffel bag located in the vehicle.

The agent reported the stolen credit cards immediately to his financial institution, which soon after told the agent that one of the stolen cards was used at a gas station and an attempt was made to use the credit card at a Target store in Brooklyn Park.

After an investigation and reviewing video surveillance, the same woman appeared to be using the credit card at both locations. The license plate number of the 1999 tan Buick she was using was traced to another Minneapolis woman, identified as Ashely Nicole Bastin. The Buick was also connected to other break-ins and attempted break-ins.

Bastin told police that Rucker was using the Buick, but she was not involved.

On the evening of July 22, the Buick was observed in the driveway of an apartment building on 140 Cedar Lake Road in Minneapolis. After investigators knocked on the front door, Thompson, who matched the description of the woman in the video surveillance footage, came to the door. She was placed under arrest by Minneapolis Police.

Investigators then called into the apartment building, and a man, identified as Rucker, came out from apartment No. 2. He was also arrested.

According to authorities, Thompson admitted to the theft of the Agent's vehicle, as well as five to eight other thefts from vehicles in the past five months.

Thompson provided information to investigators that led to the recovery of the agent's credentials in a garbage can in Minneapolis. Bastin was also interviewed on July 25 and she said she registered the Buick in her name at Rucker's request.

The agent's duty pistol was recovered early Wednesday by the Brooklyn Park Police Department, but the agent's badge remains missing.

Thompson will have a preliminary/detention hearing on Thursday and Rucker's preliminary/detention hearing is on Friday.

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